After receiving a counter-proposal from the People’s National Movement (PNM) on Wednesday night, the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) held an emergency meeting yesterday, and at the end, the PDP maintained that their request for the position of Finance Secretary is not one they are willing to give up.
The PDP proposed on March 3rd, that it would provide candidates for Deputy Chief Secretary, Finance Secretary, two councillors and half of all other executive positions. It said the PNM would receive the Chief Secretary, Presiding Officer and one councillor and half of all remaining executive positions under this arrangement.
But on Wednesday, the PNM counter-proposed by offering the PDP the Deputy Chief Secretary and Deputy Presiding Officer position. It intended to fill the Chief Secretary and Presiding Officer posts and four secretarial positions. However, the PNM said the PDP’s request to have two councillors was not in keeping with the THA Act.
But, PDP deputy leader Farley Augustine said the party does not intend to have a Minority Council leader. He said “We intend to lead as an equal.”
PNM Tobago Council leader, Tracy Davidson-Celestine, said the PNM had some concerns with some of the PDP’s proposals, chief among them being that they wanted the Finance Secretary position, “but all these elements can be hammered out at the negotiating table.”
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