By Mark J. Rodney, Contributor 
JLP candidate Beverley Howell (hand raised) at the nomination centre at the Glengoffe High School in St Catherine recently. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
SINCE THE by-elections which took place on Thursday, November 25, 2004, much has been said as to the reasons the JLP lost in the Mount Industry division of North-East St. Catherine, a relatively safe seat for the party. A seat which many had thought we would have retained, irrespective of the reason for that seat becoming vacant. The real reasons for the JLP defeat are quite simple and must be made clear for the Jamaican public and, more specifically, for the delegates and supporters of the JLP to understand.
DISTANCED
Firstly, and very importantly, I took note of the fact that the current JLP leader Edward Seaga was quick to distance himself from the defeat, and has stated, according to the Sunday Gleaner of November 28, 2004, that he only visited the division once. For the record, the current party leader did, in fact, visit Mount Industry during the course of the campaign on more than one occasion in his capacity as party leader. My second
observation is the utterance by the sitting Member of Parliament Abe Dabdoub, who has also sought to distance himself and the party leader from the defeat, and so, too, has Mr. Pearnel Charles who, after realising that his chance of becoming party leader has long passed, now thinks he can continue holding the party hostage while making the case that he should become the next Opposition leader. Maybe after the party wins the next general election!
As one of the persons who had campaign assignments in a section of the Mount Industry division, I wish to share with the public and with the delegates and supporters of the Jamaica Labour Party, the real and factual reasons for our defeat in Mount Industry. The blame for the loss is to be laid squarely at the feet of all those who are now running and hiding like cowards. They should accept responsibility for the result of their continued self-serving actions which have proven not to be in the best interest of the party.
THE SEAGA FACTOR
In the first instance, if the current JLP leader Edward Seaga did visit Mount Industry once, according to him, or twice, according to everyone else, then it is indicative of his own leadership, his own commitment to the JLP and a confirmation of the view by so many that he would rather sit and watch the party bleed to death so long as he cannot remain at the helm. This continued line by Seaga that he has taken a back seat to allow others their moment in the limelight must be dismissed once and for all and replaced with the facts. What are these facts?
At present, the JLP has only one constitutionally elected leader and he was quick to point that out recently when he offered to "steady the ship". It is also that same leader who
has been named in that court action brought by Pearnel Charles against the Jamaica Labour Party. In other words, the JLP has not had a
conference to elect a new leader, thanks to Pearnel and his 'Friends of the PNP'! The current JLP leader has not taken leave of absence, like he attempted to do back in 1998. The current JLP leader has not resigned, he has not been asked by the Party's executive to step back (before his stated time of departure) to allow anyone else the limelight.
The leader of the JLP on Thursday, November 25, 2004 (the day the party lost two by-elections), and today, remains Edward Seaga and he should accept final responsibility for any electoral defeat under his leadership. How can one really claim to love his party, yet sit by and allow us to lose two elections, sit by and allow Charles and his self-serving group to continue bringing the party into disrepute? The current leader of the JLP allowed this simply because the baton is about to be passed to someone who can lead the party to an electoral victory, much to his dissatisfaction and discomfort.
This is one of the real reasons for the JLP defeat in the Mount Industry division. Fact #1!
THE PEARNEL FACTOR
The second reason I guess you could say is in "black and white" and has the name Pearnel Patroe Charles written all over it. If the JLP had gone to its conference on the 6th and 7th of November and elect a new leader, as should have been the case, then the momentum with which we would have moved into Mount Industry would be unstoppable. Since Pearnel Charles and his 'Friends of the PNP' decided to take the JLP to court (again) and to disrupt the party's programme of activities, simply because they cannot have their own self-serving desires fulfilled, because of this, the JLP lost in Mount Industry.
On November 8, when we went and nominated our candidate Mrs. Beverly Howell, the PNP supporters were handed, earlier that morning, flyers and brochures of Mr. Charles and were actively campaigning for his candidacy, not for 'Bolo' Marriot, their candidate!
Due to Pearnel's court action, several PNP operatives were able to tell voters that the JLP does not have a leader and that argument did resonate with the voters. Many JLP supporters were turned off by the court action, they were fed up and just decided that so long as the party still has the likes of Charles, Henry, Dabdoub and Horne as members of its
executive, then they would not leave their home on election day. I faced this line several times campaigning in Mount Industry. To compound all of this Pearnel Charles had the nerve to attend and address a meeting in the division during the campaign and left the camp absolutely furious by his presence. He did not even know the name of the JLP candidate for the Division. Pearnel Charles is another critical force behind the JLP defeat in the Mount Industry Division. Fact #2!
THE DABDOUB FACTOR
Now, for those who may be wondering what is the main underlying reason for the JLP loss in Mount Industry, let me satisfy your curiosity, his name is Abe Dabdoub and he happens to be, very unfortunately, the sitting Member of Parliament for that constituency. Even with Mr. Seaga as JLP leader, even with Pearnel Charles' court action, had Mr. Dabdoub announced his resignation prior to or during the course of the campaign, or even on election day, Beverly Myers-Howell would be the councillor for Mount Industry as we speak.
It is no wonder that the PNP, who really had nothing to use against our candidate, turned to Dabdoub and painted a picture of a man who does not care about people, neither PNP nor JLP. Separate and apart from the poor infrastructure which was depicted in cartoon flyers with Dabdoub, that is, roads, light and water, and which the PNP itself must take some responsibility for after 16 years in office, the people complain that even since Ivan, they have not seen Dabdoub in person, only on television. He has ignored and neglected the constituency of North East St. Catherine so much so that if the JLP even think of using him as their candidate in 2007, then they must first place that seat in the losing column. And then he had the nerve to be telling the people 'not to use mi fat and fry Bev'.
Abe Dabdoub is the main reason for the JLP losing in the Mount Industry and only two things could have changed that: His resignation, which is now inevitable, or if Bruce Golding is elected leader of the JLP which, by the way, is also inevitable. Fact #3!
I urge all Labourites and all Jamaicans to be patient, Bruce Golding is coming to the
rescue. He is the chosen one and nothing or no one can stop this from becoming a reality. As for Pearnel Charles, Abe Dabdoub, Mike Henry and Norman Horne, well, I recently paid a visit to the 'political graveyard' and there I saw four headstones depicting their names and their respective political careers. None of them made it to the next general
elections. More anon.
* Mark J Rodney is a former member of the JLP central executive. He served from 1998 to 2004.
