THE PEOPLE'S National Party (PNP) secretariat yesterday insisted that the National Arena will be the site of the party's upcoming special delegates conference to elect a new president.
Colin Campbell, PNP deputy general secretary, told The Gleaner yesterday that the National Arena will host the party's presidential election on February 25. He claimed there was no conflict with the Jamaica Baptist Union (JBU) regarding the use of the arena.
"We did not have an issue with the Baptist Union, it's just about scheduling what time they would be setting up because our function is on the Saturday and theirs is on the Sunday, so they were going to set up some time on Saturday," he said.
SECURITY CONCERN
Mr. Campbell noted that the main issue related to the Gibson Relays which are to be hosted at the National Stadium. He said the organisers of the meet had expressed security concerns about whether it would be safe to host the meet if an election was taking place in close proximity to the stadium, as the stadium is directly beside the National Arena.
Mr. Campbell said the PNP has already met with the organisers, but that the organisers are to meet with
their executive body to discuss the matter further.
"It's just for them to satisfy themselves," he explained. "There will be an election there, so it's just for the organisers to feel that it's comfortable. It's not on our side."
NOMINATION FORMS
At the same time, nomination forms for the PNP presidential race were made available yesterday, as promised by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson last Sunday.
While he could not yet say how many were already collected, Mr. Campbell confirmed that the nomination forms were available at the party's Old Hope Road headquarters.
Mr. Campbell told The Gleaner that the codes of conduct governing the campaigns of each contender are included on the forms. These include a pledge to uphold the principles of the party's constitution; to avoid personal attacks on supporters of other candidates, and to avoid threats or bribery to secure votes.
