Beverley Anderson-Manley
BY MARCH 31, 2006, there will be a new leader of the People's National Party and subsequently, a new Prime Minister of Jamaica. The new president will be elected by 4,000 delegates of the ruling party and will have to immediately set about uniting a party that divided itself around four contenders for leadership, while ensuring that the affairs of State operate in as seamless a manner as possible.
In the meantime, the delegates continue to have the time of their lives. Never before have delegates been so feted and adored and they are taking advantage of it. Many of the delegates, operating from enlightened self-interest are ensuring that their immediate needs are met. It is the delegates who have the power, although this may not be music to the ears of all the contenders.
When PNP leaders retire, they write books. In the case of Norman Manley, he began writing his autobiography and then simply got bored. His Fragments of An Autobiography can be read in the National Library of Jamaica. In the case of Michael Manley, he began writing books from his earliest days as Prime Minister. P.J. Patterson will be following this tradition and writing his book.
EXPULSION OF THE LEFT WING IN 1952
As Leader of the Opposition, it was under the leadership of Norman Manley that the Four Hs were expelled in 1952. This broke the elder Manley's heart as up until then, he had been a stout defender of the ideological and hard-working left wing. From that moment on - unity became a critical issue in the PNP.
The campaign manager for Michael Manley in 1969, when he defeated Vivian Blake for the leadership of the party, was P.J. Patterson. Michael Manley immediately began to unite the party. He had vivid memories of the expulsion of the left wing in 1952 before the PNP won a general election and the negative impact of that expulsion on the party. Michael Manley vowed that the PNP would never split under his leadership. He was able to unite the party through often tumultuous situations in the 1970s when the PNP was often like two parties co-existing as one. But amazingly the party remained intact.
Those memories of the expulsion of the left wing would have also been vivid for P.J. Patterson when he defeated Portia Simpson Miller and became president of the PNP in 1992. He did an extraordinary job in placing Portia Simpson Miller and her parliamentary supporters in his Cabinet. This is never an easy thing to, do and he must be commended for the lengths he went to, so that the party remained united.
SUCCESSION PLANNING
Succession planning in the People's National Party has always been something of concern to its leaders. Norman Manley was concerned about it. So was Michael Manley and now P.J. Patterson. Often the outgoing leader prays for someone who embodies all the necessary attributes of a leader but these are usually found in two or three persons. Also traditionally, the PNP leader has never interfered in the elections of his successor. Mr. Patterson is following that tradition. This, of course, does not mean that he is not watching the situation carefully, but he will not interfere.
It will be interesting to see whether the PNP is able to remain united after the election of the new leader by March of next year. My guess is that it will but this depends, to a large extent, on the person who is elected. It will take a level of competence accompanied by particular skills set on the part of the new leader that no PNP President has had to rely on before. The PNP has had a long time to watch a disunited Jamaica Labour Party in opposition. It takes a united party to win elections and the PNP has its eyes set on a fifth term.
Beverley Anderson Manley is a political scientist, broadcaster, gender specialist and Transformation trainer. Email: BManley@kasnet.com
