THE EDITOR, Sir:
A REPORT in your newspaper on Tuesday, February 4, 2003, captioned "Corruption charges hit PNP local gov't picks" contained unsubstantiated allegations by two aspirants for candidacy for the PNP in the forthcoming Local Government elections. They alleged that there was "corruption" and "bribery" in the Party's process.
It is interesting to note that while the headline spoke of "corruption" and "bribery" there was no evidence of these provided in the body of the article.
The selection process in the PNP is conducted in a transparent manner with all candidates being informed of the stages involved. The steps in the process ensure that there are checks and balances. What is "tested" is not only the internal Party support for an aspirant but also wider public support and acceptability.
Further, the Party has developed criteria to determine an individual's community outreach and participation, character and potential for good representation. These criteria are finalised through discussions at all our Party forums and are provided to all aspirants. In response to their written communication of their intention to seek selection.
For incumbents, there is also the test of "performance".
In every selection process, there are those who will be disappointed, who will disagree, and who will have concerns. To ensure fairness, the Party also instituted an appeals process.
We note the concerns of the two aspirants and look forward to their providing evidence of "corruption" and "bribery". Further, we are disappointed that they did not choose to use the internal appeals mechanisms but opted instead to impugn the integrity of our organisation.
I am, etc.,
ELDON WALKER
media@pnpjamaica.com
Media Liaison
