THE JAMAICA Labour Party (JLP) is looking at its current lead in recent opinion polls as a sign it needs to work harder to gain and maintain the confidence of a wider section of the population.
The party's general secretary, Dr. Ken Baugh, said the results could be "fickle" and were not considered a signal to relax.
"Our people think we can build on it and become even stronger. It is an opportunity to rebuild our confidence, it is a signal to do more work and not a signal to relax," Dr. Baugh said.
He credited the party's resurgence partly to its "Operation Groundswell" launched last year to train volunteers, canvas support and activate organisational work. However, he said while "Operation Groundswell" had energised the party's work in the field, the visible efforts at conflict resolution within its ranks as well as to create an effective political machinery to take control of government, had also contributed to its improved standing in the polls.
The JLP will stage a special retreat on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday the parties MPs, constituency caretakers and the Standing Committee will meet all day at the Belmont Road headquarters. On Sunday they will move to the Jamaica Conference Centre downtown, Kingston.
More than 400 party officials, including councillors and councillor/caretakers, will attend the final day's session which hopes to create a follow-up to "Operation Groundswell".
