#TurksandCaicos, February 24, 2021 – On Monday March 1, the Progressive National Party’s 180 delegates will be given another opportunity to vote as the process of filing the seats in the House of Assembly ploughs on. The PNP, as does the PDM is constitutionally allowed to recommend one individual who will sit as the appointed member in the parliament for the party.
Six professionals from the now governing
PNP have expressed an interest in having the job, namely: Mark Fulford, Attorney at Law; Claudette
Gardiner Gibson, aviation industry executive; Wayne Garland, a hotelier; Sharon
Simons, a corporate executive; Ralph Patrick, a certified public accountant and
Jameka Williams, a restaurant entrepreneur.
Each nominee is not only allowed but
encouraged to canvass the delegates for their support in the vote, which is
carried out by secret ballot. The one
commanding a majority of the vote, wins.
This method of voting is near a ten year
anniversary. Royal Robinson, the
immediate past appointed member for the PNP explained, “our constitution
requires that the National General Council (NGC) vote on the appointment
member. This was one of the amendments
when we changed our party’s constitution prior to the 2012 General Election.”
Anyone unable to make the vote on Monday
March 1, will be allowed to submit their vote via proxy.
Robinson believes the process levels the
playing field and enables a democratic selection which is no longer hinged on
the potential bias of one person.
“Before we had this constitutional
change the leader of the party would pick who the appointed member is, whether
in opposition or in government. We
changed that and said it would be more fair to take that out of the hands of
the leader and put it to the delegates and let the delegates chose. We wanted
to be as transparent as possible with the process and I think since it has been
a part of the constitutional change, it has truly gone well.
I think that I was very, very effective
in the House of Assembly during my tenure,” added the senior Robinson, who now
has the pleasure of watching his son – Jamell Robinson, fourth All Island
Member – take a spot, as an elected MP.
The pool of talent could increase as
Saturday February 27, 2021 is the deadline for expressions of interest in the
Appointed Member seat.
The NCG votes on Monday at Progress
House, Airport Road; the headquarter office of the PNP.
