DEVELOPMENTS STEMMING from the last-minute entry yesterday of Dr. Omar Davies in the race for the chairmanship of the People's National Party's Region Three, resulted in the postponement of the election at the Jamaica Conference Centre, on the downtown Kingston waterfront.
While PNP officials were tight-lipped as to why the election was put off, party sources say the surprise announcement by the Finance Minister, who is apparently positioning himself to make a run for the leadership of the PNP, created some animosity which resulted in the postponement of the election.
The race for the Region Three chairmanship originally had one contender, Allan Rickards, long-time supporter of the PNP. Mr. Rickards is a public relations and advertising executive. However, hours before the conference, Dr. Davies offered himself for election.
The move apparently took some members of the PNP hierarchy and some delegates by surprise. Various clusters of delegates at the Conference Centre were heard questioning Dr. Davies's candidacy. One delegate remarked, "Whe him a run fa? Him fi guh look after de business a de country and lef dis alone." Others were heard saying they would not give him their vote.
Party insiders say the performance of Dr. Davies in the Region Three election could be used as litmus test for his chances in the PNP leadership race. The Gleaner understands that the election could be rescheduled for next week at the party's headquarters at 89 Old Hope Road, St. Andrew.
Region Three is made up of the 15 constituencies in the Corporate Area of Kingston and St. Andrew and Paul Burke is the outgoing chairman.
