The survivors and foundation PNM members
THE EDITOR: During the past two weeks, two stalwarts from the original PNM team of candidates in 1956 were laid to rest. On Thursday November 10, John Milton Hackshaw PNM unsuccessful candidate for St Patrick West was buried, seven days later on Thursday November 17 2005, Gerard Montano the party’s successful candidate for San Fernando East in 1956 was laid to rest, leaving Mr Kamaluddin Mohammed and ANR Robinson as the last two survivors of that historical and magnificent team in September of 1956 led by the late Dr Eric Williams that revolutionised the politics of TT. The team of candidates comprised the following 24 candidates: Successful: POS North-Ulric Lee (Trade Unionist; POS South-Dr Patrick Solomon (Medical Practitioner); POS South East-Dr Eric Williams (Philosopher); PoS North East —JS Donaldson (Educator); St George West-John O’Halloran (Businessman); Laventille-Donald Granado (Trade Unionist); San Juan-Robert Wallace (Pharmacist); St Joseph-Kamaluddin Moham-med (Businessman/Politician); Nariva Mayaro-Victor Campbell (Transport Contractor); Tunapuna-Learie Constantine (Attorney-at-Law); San Fernando East-Gerard Montano (Company Director); San Fernando-West — Dr Winston Mahabir (Medical Practitioner); St George East-Arnold Thomasos (Educator). Unsuccessful: Caroni North-Chunilal Saith (Businessman/Farmer); Caroni Central — Fred Greene (Pharmacist); Caroni South-Andrew Rose (Planning Consultant); Naparima-Oli Mohammed (Trade Unionist); Pointe-a-Pierre-Dr Ibett Moscheb (Dental Practitioner)’ Ortoire Moruga — Edgar Fitzgerald (Businessman/Farmer); St Patrick East-Frederick H Boodlal (Educationist); St Patrick Central-Leonard Jones (Accountant); St Patrick West-John Milton Hackshaw (Trade Unionist); St Andrew/St David-Dr CL Brown (Dental Practitioner); Tobago-ANR Robinson (Attorney-at-Law/Econo-mist). As the party prepares to celebrate its 50th birthday (Golden Anniversary) on January 24th 1956 and subsequently its first victory on September 24, 1956 it is not only important but absolutely necessary that the party and our historians ensure that the true history of the party and its founding fathers is correctly documented and made available. So often we are subjected to erroneous and incorrect statements and irresponsible utterances from ignorant and unauthorised sources. The gladiators of that period are quietly disappearing. John Milton Hackshaw, unlike Gerard Montano, was a foundation member of the party, while Gerard Montano was an original candidate in 1956. He was not a foundation member of the party. Gerard Montano’s appearance however, as a candidate on the PNM platform just before nomination day on 3/9/56 brought considerable comfort to the elite business sector and the other traditional conservative groups, suspicious of Dr Williams and the PNM agenda. It brought even greater comfort to Dr Williams and the party that there was now a local white elite representative of the business community, identifying himself with the nationalist movement already accused by the establishment of being socialist, communist, nazis etc. The popular mayor of San Fernando, a young attractive personality and gifted platform speaker was the icing on the party’s cake. Dr Williams and the party couldn’t ask for more with the late Dr Winston Mahabir, the mighty eight army, of Roy Joseph, Jessel Alexis and Dr Edward Adolphus Lee. As Montano coined the historical punch line "we shall win in the east, we shall win in the west." We won in the east, we won in the west on September 24, 1956. I hope these few comments will spark the required research in time for the party’s golden anniversary on January 24, 2006. FERDIE FERREIRA Diego Martin
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"The survivors and foundation PNM members"