By Howard Campbell and Gareth Davis, Gleaner WritersTHE JAMAICA Labour Party (JLP) has scheduled a conference in its troubled East Portland constituency for late August, the party's General Secretary Karl Samuda told The Gleaner yesterday.
He did not name a date for the meeting but said it would give delegates in East Portland an opportunity to address several issues, including the effectiveness of their political representatives.
"There will be (separate) conferences to elect executives in the Prospect and Port Antonio divisions but the main conference at the end of month will look at the state of the constituency," said Mr. Samuda. He added that the performance of Dr. Dennis Minott, the JLP caretaker for East Portland, will be examined.
CAUSED A STIR
"It will be left to him to convince delegates that he's worthy to represent them," said the JLP General Secretary.
Dr. Minott, a respected educator, caused a stir in party circles in June by claiming that the camp of newly-elected Deputy Leader James Robertson had solicited votes from East Portland delegates at the JLP's annual conference last November. Dr. Minott's revelations are being probed by the JLP's Disciplinary Committee.
A key point of the probe, Samuda noted, was a poll conducted by the party of 471 East Portland residents who were asked to comment on which party they believed was best suited to represent their constituency, how satisfied they are with the stewardship of East Portland and their voting aspirations.
The 13-member team met with workers, councillors and caretakers in the five divisions, including Benny White, the rebel councillor for the Fellowship division. In early July, Mr. White sided with four People's National Party councillors to oust Mayor Alston Hunter, a fellow JLP councillor, from office.
BARRED FROM TAKING OFFICE
Mr. White was eventually elected to succeed Mr. Hunter but a 14-day injunction issued by Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe has barred him from taking office.
Mr. Samuda said that the only hitch of the fact-finding mission came last Sunday at the Port Antonio High School when some delegates got a bit hot under the collar. He said reports of violence were overstated. "There was a bit of a scuffle between two people but it was a personal friction than anything else."
Meantime, some JLP supporters in East Portland are fearful that the party's public bickering could damage its chances of electoral success.
"This confusion and animosity among ourselves have got to stop," said Jennifer Brown, a well known JLP activist in Port Antonio. "The PNP are laughing us to scorn, as we are fighting among ourselves. We are not organised and above all there is too much rivalry. Unless we get it right this time, the PNP could still form the government come next general election."
