By Paul A. Reid, Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
ON THE eve of the deadline for nominations for the presidency of the National Democratic Movement, two new candidates yesterday threw their hats into the race to replace founder/president Bruce Golding.
Clarendon businessman Clinton George Wilson and Dr. Lloyd Elliot of St. Catherine will join educator Hyacinth Bennett in the race to take over the position left vacant when Mr. Golding announced earlier this year that he was stepping down.
The election takes place on May 27 during the national convention of the six-year-old party at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston.
Mrs. Bennett had earlier announced her candidacy while Mr. Wilson who spoke at a forum organised by the NDM in Montego Bay on Sunday, filed the required papers over the weekend.
After the forum Gregory Mair, the NDM's general secretary, confirmed Dr. Elliott's entry into the race. He told reporters that he had received a call from Dr. Elliot saying he had filed the papers.
Mr. Wilson told reporters he was "90 per cent certain" of winning the election. The 52 year-old resident of Hayes, south-east Clarendon, is the president of the Jamaica Watchdog Citizens' Association and chairman of the Hayes Community Council. He was heckled by at least one very vocal female member of the audience at the forum but said he was not worried. He said he had visited at least two other chapters of the NDM since he filed the papers and had been received warmly.
He said he planned to visit other chapters in the next two weeks and would then outline his vision for the movement.
"I am a founding member of the NDM," he said, "and I will be sticking to the policies we had outlined when the movement was formed."
NDM chairman Stafford Haughton blamed members of the media and "overzealous democrats" for what he described as "very very difficult times" facing the movement.
At yesterday's forum he said the decision of party founder and president, Mr. Golding's to step down as leader was one of the reasons for the tough times being faced by the NDM.
"Some of these difficulties that we face have also been caused by unfortunate press statements, by overzealous democrats, by media persons and other nay-sayers whose only job in life is to at the end of the happening, say, 'I told you so'.
"And former chairman Christopher Tufton didn't make it any easier, speaking about the difficulties and the future and viability of the NDM," said Mr. Haughton.
Mr. Haughton said the party had to overcome the difficulties and take the stance that when the going gets tough the tough gets going.
