PNM STORM OVER PRO AL RAWI

FARIS AL Rawi, who is unopposed for the post of Public Relations Officer of the PNM, is under growing heat in the ruling party. 

Some of Al Rawi’s Cabinet colleagues, along with councillors, aldermen, and foot soldiers, are grumbling that his top posting could hurt the party’s electoral chances. 

They are pointing to the still-raw Nelsongate, in addition to the ever-simmering issue of his upper-class family being a major landlord to the State. 

Al Rawi’s 47 recusals from Cabinet meetings over six years and his family’s $23 million annual earnings from property rentals are not sitting easy with some colleagues and working-class activists. 

They are also citing the number of legal matters which were lost by the State during Al Rawi’s tenure as Attorney General, resulting in taxpayers having to pay large sums to litigants. 

“He is damaged political goods,” said one frequent PNM social media campaigner who is close to a senior Government official. 

Al Rawi is the nominee of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley for the post, in which he would displace incumbent Laurel Lezama-Lee Sing. 

There are no other candidates for the frontline position. 

The PNM executive election would be held in early December. 

A General Council member of the PNM said Rowley is “misreading the ground” and that Al Rawi could be a disputed figure if the 2025 general election is a tight race. 

One seasoned party activist referenced a 2009 statement in Parliament by Rowley that during a previous election campaign “you are going door to door, and they are slamming doors in your face.” 

The activist said: “We could face something close to that if the opposition gets its act together and confronts us.” 

Other comments from PNM insiders tie-in with earlier denunciation of Al Rawi by influential commentator Professor Selwyn Cudjoe. 

Cudjoe wrote last October that “Trinbagonians are tired of Al Rawi’s bleating and poor performance.” 

He also stated that “given his varied interests, Al Rawi cannot truly represent the public interest.” 

Rowley has defended Al Rawi from criticisms over the past seven years, insisting that detractors are opposed to his attempts to nab alleged white-collar criminals. 

Al Rawi, as Member of Parliament for San Fernando West, is also embroiled in another raging controversy. 

This row is an attempt to construct three Housing Development Corporation towers in a crowded community in the second city. 

Political figures who have communicated with Al Rawi in recent weeks describe him as being generally “tense and uneasy.” 

One mid-level party and government operator said: “He has a lot on his mind, both political and legal. 

“The Vincent Nelson matter is affecting him; he knows it is an open-ended legal issue.” 

A well-known PNM proponent claimed the opposition UNC has been “unsuccessful” and “weak” in making out a case against Al Rawi on the Nelson issue. 

“There are key issues which Faris must deal with,” the activist said, “but the matter must be prosecuted in a more forceful manner.”   

Al Rawi is one of four PNM nominees elected unopposed. 

A total of 35 candidates would face the party’s membership.