D. K Duncan, Contributor
THE PRESIDENT of the Peoples' National Party (PNP) continues to be dissatisfied with the scope of the party's delegates or voters list. He had previously expressed these sentiments at the 65th Annual Conference of the party held in September 2003. At that conference, a decision was taken to change the PNP's constitution to allow for direct voting by all financial members of the party in the selection of candidates for local government and Parliamentary elections.
It seemed then to some observers that P. J. Patterson was in favour of that approach for the election of a new party president. At the time, he entertained the hope that thousands of delegates would participate in those elections when he demitted office.
INDIRECT ELECTIONS
The discussion of direct elections at last Saturday's business session of the rescheduled 66th Annual Conference ended inconclusively. A further study of its implications was decided on. This means that the status quo remains. Indirect elections by party delegates selected by an inadequate group network could be the mechanism for choosing the next prime minister of Jamaica.
It is not surprising, therefore, that on Saturday, the PNP president called for the "immediate formation of genuine groups within every division and constituency so that by the time the decision is to be made on the new leader, the network is sufficiently broad to reflect the national and regional views of the party and a truly democratic choice".
Of all the party issues facing P. J. Patterson, this seems to be the one most likely to delay his resignation.
MUCH WORK NEEDED
The numbers of party groups vary from over 100 in a couple of constituencies to less than ten in many. A lot of work is going to be required by the party's secretariat, ranging from the identification and expunging of "paper groups", to the formation of new groups and the revival of old ones across constituencies. The contest for the position of a new president provides an incentive for this kind of activity.
To meet the requirements for delegate status for the 67th conference slated for September 15-18, 2005, activities by the secretariat, the constituency organisations and presidential aspirants would have to move rapidly into high gear over the next two months. It takes a minimum of seven months before any new group becomes eligible to select a delegate to a conference. Therefore unless the party's constitution is amended, all groups hoping to have delegates voting for a new president at the September conference would have to be formed and registered by early March 2005.
This timetable would also hold for any special conference called between September 2005 and September 2006. It is highly unlikely that the prime minister would delay his resignation so close to the end of the five-year term which ends in October 2007.
The present assumptions therefore lead to the conclusion that the date for the election of a new president of the People's National Party is likely to be sometime between September 2005 and the first quarter of 2006. The overarching assumption for this timetable is based on P. J. Patterson's own words on Saturday. He stated among several other things: "I do not intend to leave the party and the government the poorer for my departure."
He indicated that he had no problem with the "launches or pre-launches, or announcements to launch" that had been associated with aspirants to the post of presidency. However, he emphasised the need not to take the unity of the party for granted. In the absence of clarity from the delegates as to the rules of engagement for the leadership campaign, the PNP president is obviously taking the lead.
The conduct of the unexpected and postponed elections for the four PNP vice-presidents will provide an initial insight into the response to the cards P. J. Patterson has laid on the table. Beyond that the vice-presidential elections adds little value to last Saturday's deliberations.
One love, one heart.
A dental surgeon, Dr. D.K. Duncan is a former Cabinet minister and general secretary in the PNP administration of the 1970's.
