Notable service to PNM, nation by Ashton Ford

Ashton, as he prefers to be called, was fortunate enough to have served under every political leader of the PNM. His journey from the PNM Youth League in 1968 to serving as mayor and MP for Arima, among other portfolios, to his last position as general secretary gives him one year shy of 50 years service in the PNM.

Ashton has a unique ability to communicate with anyone and make them feel as though they knew him for years. He is an open book or what we call a “salt fish” in politics which simply means he can fit in anywhere.

I recall our visit to the China CELAC conference in Beijing as executive officials of the PNM in 2015. Ashton delivered the feature address at the conference entitled “Political Parties in the 21st Century.” This was an extremely proud moment for us as most of the political parties from the Caribbean admitted to using the PNM as a model for their politics across the region.

One of the many lessons Forde taught the younger PNM generation was that of “patience in politics.” He said “while politics can be a fascinating experience, you cannot force your time by only trying to measure your contributions to the party. Remain active and loyal to the party and the party will be loyal to you.” In addition to his people friendly approach to politics, Ashton remains a media master. He also enjoyed much success in his role as general secretary because he understood the media and was a prolific writer.

I continue to keep Ashton as my mentor in many regards. We would have shared some truly enjoyable experiences preparing press releases, letters, tributes and other general writing on behalf of the party as general secretary and public relations officer at the time.

His selfless decision to retire as general secretary in favour of succession planning while the party is in power demonstrates true love for his party. Ashton was never obsessed with title but performed in service of the PNM regardless of where he was called to serve and that example of selfless service is noteworthy to all who desire public office.

I want to wish Ashton Ford all the blessings life has to offer and congratulate him on living a life of exceptional service to party and country.

Ronald Huggins St Joseph