From left, Golding and Seaga
Omar Anderson, Gleaner Writer
THE JAMAICA Labour Party (JLP) has been hit by a new dispute involving party leader Edward Seaga and Chairman Bruce Golding, over who should chair the party's influential Selection Committee.
The Sunday Gleaner understands that the committee's job, of identifying suitable candidates to run in elections or stand as caretakers, has been impaired due to the current tangle over who should be its head.
JLP sources explain that, over the years, the job of the Selection Committee Chairman has been held by the party chairman, who in this case would be Mr. Golding. But it is understood that Mr. Seaga has invoked the party's constitution and refused Mr. Golding's bid to chair the committee, at least for now.
The last party chairman was Ryan Peralto.
JLP CONSTITUTION
Speaking with The Sunday Gleaner on Friday, Mr. Seaga said the JLP constitution gives him the right to become chairman of the Selection Committee. He added that the constitution
provides that the Selection Committee be comprised of a group of senior officers, with the most senior of them becoming chairman.
In this case, he said he is the most senior officer in the party, but that in the past he had delegated persons to act in the position. Mr. Seaga explained that he decided to head the committee this time because he did not think several past selections were done fairly, and he wanted to "level the playing field".
"A number of aspects of the selection process have come up in the recent past which are needed for reform," Mr. Seaga said, adding that he would be delegating chairmanship of the Selection Committee as soon as the reforms were completed. Asked when, he said: "It could be as little as two or three meetings."
A SPAT IN THE PARTY
Mr. Seaga, however, did admit that there was a "spat in the party" when he first decided to chair the Selection Committee, as his decision was interpreted as having no confidence in Mr. Golding.
According to Mr. Seaga, another reason forcing him to head the committee lies in Mr. Golding not being "conversant" with the unfair selection practices of the last five years while he was out of the party.
"Hence, my decision to personally level the playing field," said Mr. Seaga.
But party sources allege that Mr. Seaga's decision to wrest chairmanship of the Selection Committee lies in his fear to face the JLP's Central Executive, because many of its members, sources said, would likely vote against him.
Meanwhile, The Sunday Gleaner obtained a copy of the JLP constitution last week. Rule seven of the constitution highlights 18 national committees with the Selection Committee being one of them. Sections 2-4 of the constitution specifically highlight who should be chairmen of the Finance and Parliamentary committees, as well as the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union.
But section 8 notes that "the chairman and members of all other National Committees shall be nominated by the Officers of the Party and shall be subject to ratification by the Central Executive."
Contacted last Friday, Mr. Golding said he was not in a position to comment much on the issue. He added, however, that the Selection Committee is to meet tomorrow to discuss the matter.
While explaining his interpretation of the JLP constitution, the party chairman said the work of the Selection Committee is being impeded as a formal decision is pending as to who should be its head.
"My understanding of the rule book (JLP constitution) is that the chairman has to be nominated by officers in the party, then ratified by the Central Executive," he said.
For his part, JLP General Secretary Karl Samuda, said last week that Mr. Seaga has so far chaired two Selection Committee meetings.
According to him, discussions on the chairmanship of the Selection Committee is an internal party matter. "Anything that has been said about the matter by the media has come via a leak," he stated.
Mr. Samuda added that the interpretation of the JLP constitution will guide the process as to who will eventually serve as Selection Committee chairman.
POLITICAL BASE
In the meantime, JLP insiders have said that the dispute over who should chair the Selection Committee stems from Mr. Seaga wanting to strengthen his political base since several internal party incidents late last year might have weakened him as leader.
The first incident was last November's defeat of his favoured deputy leaders, Olivia 'Babsy' Grange by newcomer James Robertson, and Ed Bartlett by Dr. Horace Chang.
At the party's annual conference held at the National Arena, Mr. Seaga openly endorsed Ms. Grange and Mr. Bartlett, appealing to delegates "to vote with their hearts and not with their pockets" an indirect reference to Mr. Robertson whom Mr. Seaga accused of buying votes. Dr. Chang and Mr. Robertson were subsequently branded as members of the party's 'reformist' wing.
Shortly after the election, Mr. Golding, who was instrumental in the JLP's close performance in the 2002 general election which it lost, was elected party chairman by the JLP's Central Executive, following his exodus from the party in 1995 to form the National Democratic Movement.
