THE People’s National Movement (PNM) has to go back to the drawing board following the massive defeat at the polls in Tobago on Monday.

This is the opinion of head of the Tobago Business Chamber Martin George.

George on Tuesday, in a video statement, congratulated the Tobago People Party (TPP) on winning all 15 seats in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election.

He said many lessons had to be learnt from the results, and the PNM had the most to learn.

George said, “They definitely need to revisit the idea with how they meet and treat with the people and the policies in Tobago going forward.”

“Clearly the people of Tobago are telling the PNM as a party they need to go back completely to revamp, retool, re-invigorate, re-inspire reimagine and repackage themselves.”

He said Tobagonians seemed to be tired to the same “recycled” faces.

It was also concerning as there would be no alternate voice in the THA other than the TPP and maybe the TPP may nominate a member of their party to act as a “Shadow Opposition” to bring balance to the THA’s legislature as in the past George suggested.

He said the election blow for the PNM showed a larger national concern.

“Even your opposition from a national perspective is being called into question here…For any thriving, vibrant democracy, you must have an equally vibrant and thriving opposition which is able to call out the government, hold the government to account and look after the national interest where you may have the runaway excesses by the party in power.”

Even at a national level, that could not be seen from the Opposition George said.

“They are behaving like they are still in shell-shock from the defeat last April and I guess they are even in more shock at yesterday’s results,” he said.

The PNM George said, needed to start functioning efficiently in their role as the national Opposition looking after the interests of the people.