OPPOSITION whip David Lee was sceptical about the impending appointment of Energy Minister Stuart Young as prime minister, but his opposition colleague Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally wished Young well, although vowing to hold him to account.

Lee opined that Young was simply a younger version of the Prime Minister, as he dismissed the expected handover of the leadership of the country, speaking to reporters as he entered the Red House for the House of Representatives sitting on January 13.

"All the policies of this Government, Stuart Young was part and parcel of. He was a senior individual, grown over the years, with Prime Minister Rowley, so what do you expect going further? He is just a younger version, in my view. He might be of a different race."

Lee said he watched the media conference after the PNM General Council on January 11 featuring Young (PNM chairman) and Minister of Youth Development Foster Cummings (general secretary).

[caption id="attachment_1132600" align="alignnone" width="683"] Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee arrives at Parliament on Monday. - Photo by Angelo Marcelle[/caption]

"The body language says it all. It tells me that nothing has been solved. That is my interpretation of the body language.

"But as you know, the PNM has to appear to be healed and to be one. That is their mantra.

"But one would never have expected the kind of bacchanal that would have taken place in the past two months with this whole issue of their leadership."

Lee said the SoE was announced on December 30 at a news briefing by Young and Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds.

"The Prime Minister was nowhere there to be seen.

"Then the following week, right after New Year's, there is this whole issue about leadership and who will be prime minister and who will be political leader. That whole conversation has taken away from the crux of the matter we are coming to debate here today, which is the SoE."

He likened Young's appointment before a general election to a substitute on a football team, just given a chance to play before the end of the game.

"Prime Minister Rowley has to give Stuart Young a 'sweat.' In football you have to give the 12th man a sweat before the match ends.

"I think that is what is happening here today, that he is giving Stuart Young a sweat to see if he can score a goal. We will wait and see."

Reporters asked his thoughts on Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne's reported interested in seeking to become Diego Martin West MP on Rowley's bowing out.

Lee said, "I really don't want to get into PNM confusion and bacchanal. When you look at how the UNC has run their business, we are very democratic, we are very calm as a united party. When there were talks about our internal (elections) last year, democracy played out. There we are. We are calm, cool.

"Everybody talked about the PNM being an institution – and look at the bacchanal that is happening in the PNM right now. I really don't want to talk about who takes over the PM's seat in Diego Martin West."

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