HORNE
Analee Bernard and Rayon Dyer, Gleaner Writers
IT IS already settled in St. Elizabeth. A majority of delegates and Councillors in the parish know who they want to be the next Jamaica Labour Party Leader and he is none other than Bruce Golding.
An informal canvass of the parish shows that a majority of delegates in South West St. Elizabeth, North East St. Elizabeth and South East St. Elizabeth will be voting for Golding on November 6.
In an interview with The Sunday Gleaner last Thursday, chairman of the party's South West St. Elizabeth constituency executive, Dr. Christopher Tufton, said he was supporting Party Chairman Bruce Golding to be the next leader because "he represents the future of the party... He has been articulating a clear understanding of a number of policy issues which are relevant to the Jamaica Labour Party at this time.
"Mr. Golding has the experience to lead us into victory and to take the JLP forward. He represents the views of most Labourites; he has been articulating positions such as term limits for elected representatives, set and increase resources for constituencies and separation of powers."
Councillor for the Mountainside division and who has been serving since 1986, Anthony Montaque, refused to tell The Sunday Gleaner which of the two candidates he was supporting when he was contacted. He said he would be supporting the better of the two persons at the party's conference.
However, Nelson Taylor, a delegate who described himself as a longstanding worker in the JLP said if the party didn't have Bruce Golding as leader for the next general election, it would be left behind.
"To be frank with you, Mr. Charles does not seem to possess the capabilities to lead Jamaica out of the gutter that it is in at the moment," Mr. Taylor added.
Councillor for the Pedro Plains division, Vernon Ebanks, said his support was definitely behind Bruce Golding, because he has the vision to take the country forward. He said that all the delegates in the division are being urged to support Mr. Golding.
Michelle Foster-Wright, another delegate, said she thinks Mr. Golding is the better man for the job because he is more electable as a leader in any future national election.
"I am prepared to do extra work to ensure that Bruce Golding gets maximum votes from the constituency at the party's annual conference next month," Ms. Foster-Wright said.
She also noted that the party has been out of power for too long and Mr. Golding was the man to return the party to winning ways.
In North East St. Elizabeth, JLP Caretaker Basil Perriel said it was public knowledge that he was supporting Mr. Golding, whom he described as articulate and bright.
He further supports Mr. Golding's plans for a separation of powers, term limits for leaders of political parties and a two per cent allocation of the national budget to be given to Members of Parliament to determine how best it should be spent in the interest of their constituents.
Michael Daley, a delegate in the Balaclava division, said he would support Pearnel Charles because of his leadership style. He pointed to Mr. Charles' loyalty to the party through all his trials and said that he should be rewarded. Mr. Daley said he was not convinced of the "genuineness" of some members on Mr. Golding's team.
Delegate and Councillor/Caretaker for the Balaclava division, Daniel Francis, said of the 60 delegates on the list in North East St. Elizabeth, 95 per cent are rooting for Mr. Golding.
"There are certain things in electing a leader which are significant, you have to examine the chronological age of the person who's vying for leadership position. And it is in this perspective that Mr. Golding can be a very good leader, he is younger and has more political knowledge of the political landscape and has very good intention with respect to the political system," Francis said.
He said Mr. Charles was a little bit "old fashioned" to manage the massive amount of young people in the country.
The lone JLP Councillor in North East St. Elizabeth, Stalin Brown, is giving his full support to Mr. Golding. He said there were 15 delegates in his division but he would not try to influence anybody to vote
for any particular person nor would he make up his delegates list based on people's view. He said if Mr. Charles comes out the winner he would give him full support and work with him.
JLP delegate in Santa Cruz, Gib Samuels, gave his full support for Mr. Golding saying he was a born leader and more of a statesman.
Senator Norman Horne, chairman of the South East St. Elizabeth constituency executive, has endorsed the candidacy of Pearnel Charles to succeed Edward Seaga as leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) because he sees him as a "winnable candidate" in any future election.
"The JLP has been out of power for a long time and I see Mr. Charles as the man to return us to electoral victory once more," said Mr. Horne.
CHARLES AS CANDIDATE
Senator Horne also suggested that Bruce Golding could not unite the JLP instead he sees Mr. Charles as the candidate to do that.
"I think that uniting the party should be one of the key things on our minds as Labourites and to achieve this we need a man in the person of Pearnel Charles," Mr. Horne added.
Commenting on the current controversy dogging internal campaign for leadership of the party, Mr. Horne said the negative campaigning was harming the party more than anything else. "I have never and have no intention of supporting any form of negative campaign activities," he said.
Councillor for the Malvern division, Donald Simpson, on the other hand said that he has been actively campaigning for Mr. Golding to ensure that he emerges as the next JLP leader. He said that Mr. Golding has what it takes to lead the party forward.
POLITICAL WILDERNESS
"We have been in the political wilderness for too long and I see Bruce Golding as the man to lead us across the 'Jordan River'. Let us not fool ourselves, Pearnel Charles cannot defeat the People's National Party in an election," said Shirley Myers, Councillor for the Southfield division.
Junction division Councillor, Franklyn Witter, said he was supporting Mr. Golding as the next leader of the party. He said Mr. Golding has the ability to inspire meaningful changes at this time in the Jamaica Labour Party.
"South West St. Elizabeth is one of the constituencies in which Mr. Golding has excellent support because the delegates think he is the best man to be at the helm of the JLP. He has my full backing because I acknowledge his courage to lead a united force to defeat the PNP in the next general election," Mr. Witter said.
