Jack, lawyers planning TOP’s counter-move

Yesterday’s Tobago Organisation of the People’s “next move” national executive meeting had to be put off to a date to be fixed, as party leader Ashworth Jack had to meet for most of the day with lawyers seeking advice on whether to file an ex-parte injunction against two members who took legal action against the party last weekend.

That earlier legal move, filed by members Gladstone Solomon and Trevor Gardiner, effectively halted the party’s fourth executive elections on Sunday. Solomon and Gardiner filed a High Court injunction seeking to prevent the executive elections from proceeding. After Sunday’s aborted proceedings the party scheduled a special meeting for yesterday to discuss the next move. That meeting did not take place, however, as Jack met with lawyers instead.

Sources say neither was a new date set for the crisis meeting. Reports are that yesterday there was a virtual shouting match among members both for and against Jack. “It was horrible, the worst I have seen in years,” another source said. Sources say the party remains divided and many want Jack to step down, especially after the TOP’s humiliating 12-nil defeat by the People’s National Movement in January’s Tobago House of Assembly election. Jack was unavailable for comment yesterday as he was meeting with lawyers.

Source: Guadian

TOP Internal Elections

The Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) is about to rise up and get on the move after suffering a crushing defeat in the last THA elections. The Ashworth Jack led Party which secured over eleven thousand votes in the last THA election but failed to win a seat is still part of the Central Government.

At a Party news conference last Tuesday at its Old Market Square headquarters, he, Political Leader Ashworth Jack and Party Chairman Lionel Coker fielded questions from media representatives. It was Party Chairman Lionel Coker who revealed that “the TOP will hold elections for eleven posts within the Party on Sunday June 02, from 9:30am at the Rovannel’s Resort.

According to Coker, “the election will be held on a one man, one vote basis and nominations for posts will on May 13, 4 pm. The eleven positions which will be contested are, chairman, Deputy Chairman, General Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretary/treasurer, assistant relations and communications officer, education and training officer, membership and mobilisation officer, women development officer and youth development officer.

“The term of the political leader is due to end in 2014, so that post will not be contested,” Coker explained. The TOP Chairman further indicated, “The TOP will meet before the internal elections on Sunday May 26 from 3pm at the Mason Hall Secondary School. He explained that “this meeting will be the start of the Annual General Meeting of the Party, which will conclude with the internal elections the following week.” He made it clear that, “it will be at the Mason Hall meeting when the Party will ratify the Party’s constitution to make the ‘one man one vote’ an integral part of the voting process.”

Coker said that the TOP will be connecting with the Tobago public after the Party’s Internal elections are over.

Source:Thetobagonews