Omar Anderson, Gleaner Writer
Patterson
PEOPLE'S NATIONAL Party (PNP) president P.J. Patterson on Sunday warned members of the party's National Executive Council (NEC) to stay clear of persons with questionable characters.
Addressing a meeting of the annual conference of the NEC, the party's highest decision-making body outside of conference, Mr. Patterson warned PNP politicians to be on their best behaviour and stay clear of unscrupulous persons.
Speaking with The Gleaner on Monday, PNP chairman Robert Pickersgill said the party president 'spared no punches' in his address.
"The party leader warned delegates to be careful about their associations, because all kinds of interpretations can be put to who you are associated with, even innocently," the PNP chairman related.
According to Mr. Pickersgill, the NEC meeting, which was held at the Knutsford Court Hotel, examined ideas to curtail the crime problem.
RISE AND FALL OF THE MAFIA
He said a 45-minute video on the rise and fall of the Italian Mafia was shown at the NEC meeting.
"It was a telling documentary on how it (Mafia) rose to great heights in Sicily and what the Government had to do to bring it under some amount of control," Mr. Pickersgill stated. "Everybody left feeling the NEC was very worthwhile."
The PNP chairman said the NEC was also divided into four groups to make presentations on four topics. These were: Young People in Communities; Domestic Violence; Political Violence or Gang Economic Turf Violence, and Supporting the Police - community policing and protecting those who co-operate.
During the sessions, Mr. Pickersgill said discussions focused on more investment in police youth clubs, and the holding of more community meetings with the police.
"Unless you have people co-operating with the security forces, we are not going to get anywhere fast," he told The Gleaner.
The PNP chairman said the presentations will be compiled and distributed throughout the party structure.
