Dennis Leads PNM in Tobago

By Sue-Ann Wayow

ANCIL DENNIS has created history once again by being voted as the new political leader of the People’s National Movement (PNM) Tobago Council Internal Elections.

The 35-year-old Dennis, former chief secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), is now the youngest person to ever lead the council.

He is expected to take on his new duties from May 1.

The elections were held on Sunday and Dennis was unopposed for the position.

Elections were announced following the PNM’s resounding defeat at the Tobago polls in December last year which saw the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) led by Watson Duke gaining 14 out of 15 electoral districts, a massive blow to the PNM.

The former council was headed by Tracy Davidson-Celestine who decided not to participate in this election.

Dennis holds a master of science degree in Public Policy and Management from the University of London.

He contested the Buccoo/Mt Pleasant seat in the 2013 Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election, emerging victorious and becoming the youngest representative in the THA at age 26.

At age 33, on May 6, 2020, he was elected THA Chief Secretary, replacing Kelvin Charles, who resigned after losing the PNM Tobago Council leadership to Davidson-Celestine.

Dennis will now serve as the Tobago Council’s political leader for the next two years.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, Dennis said changes will be coming to the council’s structure.

“It is important to really talk to our membership, so my first order of business will be to meet with the new executive, to hear from them their concerns, their ideas and, of course, we will extend those consultations to the general membership of the party and that is, of course, concerning the internal party arrangements because I think we need to make some changes to the organisation itself and we would be looking at these issues,” he said.

The party also has to continue talking to Tobagonians to understand their needs and the new executive will be discussing what went wrong in the last THA election, the new political leader said.

“That is what politics is about,” Dennis said.

He added that he was grateful for the stewardship of Davidson-Celestine leading the party in two THA elections and who also created history by becoming the first female political leader, not just in Tobago but the PNM in general.

Following is the list of the new PNM Tobago Council Executive issued on Monday morning: