00:00After the inaugural opening of the NCRHA's disaster response site NCD
00:06prevention and retreat center in Blancheshires on Friday, Planning Minister
00:11Penelope Beckels, the MP for Arima, was asked by the media about her challenge
00:16for the leadership of the government when Dr. Keith Rowley demits office.
00:20I have challenged the leadership before. I got the opportunity again to serve in the
00:27cabinet so we understand that you know things like that happen but the critical
00:32thing is that as somebody who has served a very long time starting off in local government, for me the party always comes first.
00:41So we discussed the things as we discussed yesterday and we all look
00:46forward to tomorrow's General Council meeting and the outcome.
00:50Energy Minister Stuart Young, the MP for Port of Spain North, St. Anne's West, shook hands with Minister
00:56Beckels at Balise House after a meeting of elected PNM MPs on Thursday night
01:01and what some commentators have described as only window dressing.
01:06Following a parliamentary caucus in Tobago, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley
01:10had announced on Monday that the majority of the PNM's elected MPs voted
01:14in favor of Minister Young instead of Minister Beckels to be the next Prime
01:18Minister when Dr. Rowley resigns the office later this year before the next
01:23general election. The Express newspaper reported the vote was 11-9.
01:30However, there continue to be media reports that some PNM MPs are yet to sign a letter in
01:34support of Minister Stuart Young. Prime Minister Rowley, the MP for Diggle
01:38Martin West, left Balise House on Thursday night without speaking with the
01:43media. National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hines, the outgoing MP for
01:47Laventille West and Finance Minister Colm Imbert, the Diggle Martin North East
01:51MP, declined to comment about the meeting. At one point, local government
01:55minister Fares Al Rawi, the MP for San Fernando West, appeared before the media
02:00but quickly returned to Balise House. Some time later, he and several other
02:05cabinet members who are PNM MPs emerged from the building led by Minister Young
02:11and walked towards the media in a show of unity. TV6 News was there.
02:19PNM's General Counsel is due to meet on Saturday.
02:50One long-standing member who is also looking forward to the PNM's General
02:58Counsel meeting on Saturday is Jennifer Batiste Primus.
03:03Jennifer Batiste Primus, PNM's General Counsel
03:34On Friday, Health Minister Terence de Alsing had this to say about the PNM.
03:55Asked about claims of ramblings in the PNM, Minister de Alsing said,
04:00There is no war.
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