Omar Anderson, Gleaner WriterTHE PEOPLE'S National Party (PNP) will spend more than $7 million for this weekend's 67th annual conference and send-off for party leader P.J. Patterson.
This is likely to be his last conference as party leader. Last month, the 70-year-old Mr. Patterson, who has led the party since 1992, announced at a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting that he would be seeking re-election on Saturday.
He stated, however. that he would demit shortly after, clearing the way for the four vice-presidential candidates to vie to lead the party.
Colin Campbell, PNP deputy general secretary in charge of communication, told The Sunday Gleaner yesterday that the 67th annual conference will be centred on Mr. Patterson.
INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER
"The whole conference will be a tribute to him," he said, adding that the party was seeking to have an international speaker at the conference on Thursday, the first day.
Party insiders told The Sunday Gleaner that Barbados' Prime Minister Owen Arthur or Chilean President Ricardo Lagos Escobar was likely to be Thursday's speaker.
The PNP spent approximately $6 million at its annual conference in 2003. With inflation, party insiders said this figure is expected to exceed $7 million this year.
Some 5,000 delegates are expected to attend the conference, which will be held at the National Arena from September 8 through September 11.
There will be no voting as the party's four incumbent vice-presidents, Mrs. Portia Simpson Miller, Dr. Peter Phillips, Dr. Karl Blythe and Dr. Paul Robertson, are expected to be returned en bloc. This was after several other contenders recently withdrew after the party hauled them in to prevent what could have been a public embarrassment and a display of disunity.
Mr. Patterson is expected to address the public session on today at approximately 1:00 p.m.
