By Omar Anderson, Gleaner WriterTHE CURRENT leadership impasse within the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) could be settled soon, as up to Tuesday night both parties had agreed to have the election of a new party leader on Saturday February 26, next year.
But a party insider close to the talks between the Bruce Golding and Pearnel Charles teams, told The Gleaner that the election will not be held until the Golding team accepts a number of proposals which the Charles team have advanced.
"If they accept the proposals, we will go to court and tell the judge they've accepted the agreement," the source said, noting that how the delegates list is compiled and who is included on it form the major plank of the Charles proposals. "If they follow these proposals an election can be held," added the source.
The Gleaner has been reliably informed that both sides have been convening a series of meetings in which it has been accepted that the list was not constitutionally compiled.
Contacted on Tuesday night, Mr. Golding said he was not discussing the issue. However, Mr. Charles confirmed that the two sides have agreed on February 26 for the holding of the party's 2004 annual conference. He brushed aside media reports yesterday that he had reached a compromise with the Golding team.
"Only if we reach an agreement then I will go back to the court and say we have an understanding," he said. "There's no attempt to compromise anything."
CLEAN LIST
Mr. Charles stressed he was only interested in ensuring the next JLP leader is chosen on a clean delegates list: "If Mr. Golding wins, I don't want to call him a bogus winner," he said. "And if I win, I don't want to be told I'm a bogus winner."
For nearly a month, Mr. Charles and Mr. Golding, the two leadership contenders, have been at odds over the authenticity of the delegates list that should have been used in the JLP's November 6 leadership election.
The election was cancelled after Mr. Charles filed an ex parte injunction in the Supreme Court, challenging the authenticity of the list. The parties are to return to court on December 14 and 15.
