By Denise Clarke, Staff Reporter 
Chang
WESTERN BUREAU:
JUST ONE week after his successful challenge for the post of deputy leader in the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Dr. Horace Chang has signalled his intention to promote a programme of change to strengthen the party's position in the pivotal western region.
Brushing aside suggestions that his bid for deputy leader was part of a wider move to position Bruce Golding for the leadership of the party, Dr. Chang said he would use his position to promote a more inclusive type of politics that will increase the party's appeal to the wider public.
GOLDING FACTOR
The 'Golding factor', he noted, is good for the party, given the 'strong national image' which Mr. Golding commands.
"The wider public sees him as one of the mature politicians who is willing to accept change in the process of government. I think it is good... (because) where the public links with what they consider the way forward and whoever is leading that charge, whichever party has that leader is likely to win the next election," Dr. Chang said.
He credited last week's victory to his team's ability to capitalise on the failure of his predecessor, Ed Bartlett, to engage party workers 'in a meaningful way', a deficiency which he intends to correct. To that end, he has decided to act on a call for change from the public not only in the political process, but throughout the wider society. The change involves a more inclusive approach, to woo disenchanted voters into the political process, and hopefully convert them into supporters of the JLP.
"That body of people are beginning to ask for a new way of doing politics if they are to get engaged in it. I don't think they are particularly fond of people who like to enjoy the profile of power so to speak, I think they want people who they feel more comfortable with, who they can relate to easily," Dr. Chang noted.
While his colleagues were bickering over the legitimacy of the funding behind the campaign of new-elected deputy leader James Robertson, Dr. Chang outlined a plan of action to embrace the six JLP Members of Parliament in the western region, including the defeated Ed Bartlett.
A key player in Dr. Chang's plan of action is fellow Member of Parliament for North-West St. Elizabeth, J.C. Hutchinson, who is the current chairman of the party's Area Council Four, comprising the five western parishes. Dr. Chang, who is the Member of Parliament for North-West St. James, said the public will no longer accept what he termed 'a top-down' approach to politics, whereby policies are formulated without consultation with the public. The public's support, he said, is essential in any solution being put forward to solve the country's 'deep and chronic' problems.
"The decisions or the programmes to move (the country) forward could involve some challenges, and we'll have to take some hard decisions," he declared. "Taking those decisions if they are going to succeed will require public support and to gain public support... will require a certain level of engagement and involvement in the process that we have not yet exhibited throughout the politics."
One of his first moves will be to review existing party machinery in western Jamaica with a view to improving and developing new methods to increase the party's viability. Alongside the Members of Parliament, councillors and party workers, Dr. Chang said, the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) will also play a critical role in the process.
FINANCIAL BACKING
Meanwhile, the ability to attract financial backing for the JLP in western Jamaica played a key role in Dr. Horace Chang's victory over Ed Bartlett in last weekend's deputy leader elections, according to Lloyd B. Smith, editor and publisher of the Western Mirror newspaper.
Although Mr. Bartlett has been credited for the party's significant showing in last October's General Elections and the Local Government Elections this year, Dr. Chang, according to Mr. Smith, is viewed as having the capability to woo funding for the party, which is a concern among Labourites in the region.
"I think one of the major reasons why Chang was elected was that he was seen as someone who has the organisational skills and capabilities to get the job done better than Bartlett was able to do although it is fair to say that Bartlett gave it a very good try," Mr. Smith suggested.
