Hinds Will Not Contest Laventille West

Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has confirmed that Member of Parliament for Laventille West and Minister of National Security, Fitzgerald Hinds, will not be offering himself as a candidate for his constituency in the next General Election. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Dr. Rowley said he has not spoken to Mr. Hinds on the issue but has seen reports, noting that he was not surprised at his announcement. "I have seen that. Mr. Hinds was in Cabinet this morning, we have not spoken about it and therefore I don't have any additional information on the one that you have. But I think it's confirmed that Mr. Hinds will not be continuing to offer himself as a candidate in his constituency. I’m not entirely surprised. I am a little disappointed because Mr. Hinds has been with us for a long time. He has been a very loyal, hardworking MP and therefore his coming to the end of his service, there is usually sadness in parting but I am sure he would be around with us in the party, if not in the Government. I haven't spoken to him yet but I knew of his feelings along the way, so I'm not surprised." Dr. Rowley said though, that he understands Minister Hinds' decision. "You come to a point sometimes that, you come to a crossroad and you have to make a decision and sometimes the angles at the crossroad are quite sharp. I saw it somewhere, I think it was in the papers I believe, that it was a family discussion. Something like that. I'm not surprised. I, too, have a family and I know how these things go."