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Time for PNP leadership change?
Monday, November 19, 2007
To say that the tide is with Prime Minister Bruce Golding and his ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) entering the December 5 Local Government Elections is, we believe, to understate the current situation.
For while the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) turned in what many observers consider a good showing to lose only narrowly in the September 3 parliamentary elections, after 18 years in power, that party has been up against the ropes since then.
Just when the new Government was finding itself under growing pressure because of a startling rise in prices, fuelled in large measure by international economics, the Cuban light bulb scandal - with its potential for dire consequences - surfaced to leave the PNP staggering and distract attention from the Government's problems.
News that the Trafigura scandal is back on the front burner because of the Dutch Government's investigation of possible bribery means more body blows for Portia Simpson Miller's PNP leading up to December 5.
Bear in mind also that traditionally the vote in a Local Government Elections that follows shortly after a parliamentary poll usually goes in favour of the governing party, two notable exceptions being 1986 when the PNP won and 2003 when the JLP won after their parties lost the preceding general elections.
Usually, supporters of the party in Opposition see little point in participating in the election of local authorities which, in any case, have only limited power and very little access to funding. Hence the usually low turnout in these polls.
There is yet another factor pushing against the PNP: money. Elections, as we all know, are costly affairs. It was obvious during the parliamentary polls that Simpson Miller and her party were severely under-funded. Having lost the parliamentary polls, the situation will now be even worse for the Opposition party.
It's against all of that background that the JLP, now in government for the first time in 18-plus years, was obviously already tasting victory in the Local Government polls as party faithfuls celebrated at their annual conference yesterday.
They will enter today's Nomination Day activities knowing that the odds are very heavily stacked in their favour.
For the PNP, now at one of the low points in its long and proud history, the task is obvious. Once the local polls are over it will have to set about reorganising and reinventing itself. It will require courage, resolve and wisdom from the party's leadership and rank and file.
The serious of scandals has seriously jaded the current leadership of the PNP. The party president, in particular, will have to seriously examine her own role. She will need to ask herself whether she has the moral authority to lead the party through the very necessary reorganisation and reinvention.
Under her leadership, can the party realistically regroup and provide the motivated leadership that is necessary, without the blood-letting that comes from power struggle?
From this distance, the available evidence suggests to this newspaper that the answer to those questions is a resounding 'no', which is untenable.
Because the truth is that Jamaica needs a strong and focused PNP.
Monday, November 19, 2007
To say that the tide is with Prime Minister Bruce Golding and his ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) entering the December 5 Local Government Elections is, we believe, to understate the current situation.
For while the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) turned in what many observers consider a good showing to lose only narrowly in the September 3 parliamentary elections, after 18 years in power, that party has been up against the ropes since then.
Just when the new Government was finding itself under growing pressure because of a startling rise in prices, fuelled in large measure by international economics, the Cuban light bulb scandal - with its potential for dire consequences - surfaced to leave the PNP staggering and distract attention from the Government's problems.
News that the Trafigura scandal is back on the front burner because of the Dutch Government's investigation of possible bribery means more body blows for Portia Simpson Miller's PNP leading up to December 5.
Bear in mind also that traditionally the vote in a Local Government Elections that follows shortly after a parliamentary poll usually goes in favour of the governing party, two notable exceptions being 1986 when the PNP won and 2003 when the JLP won after their parties lost the preceding general elections.
Usually, supporters of the party in Opposition see little point in participating in the election of local authorities which, in any case, have only limited power and very little access to funding. Hence the usually low turnout in these polls.
There is yet another factor pushing against the PNP: money. Elections, as we all know, are costly affairs. It was obvious during the parliamentary polls that Simpson Miller and her party were severely under-funded. Having lost the parliamentary polls, the situation will now be even worse for the Opposition party.
It's against all of that background that the JLP, now in government for the first time in 18-plus years, was obviously already tasting victory in the Local Government polls as party faithfuls celebrated at their annual conference yesterday.
They will enter today's Nomination Day activities knowing that the odds are very heavily stacked in their favour.
For the PNP, now at one of the low points in its long and proud history, the task is obvious. Once the local polls are over it will have to set about reorganising and reinventing itself. It will require courage, resolve and wisdom from the party's leadership and rank and file.
The serious of scandals has seriously jaded the current leadership of the PNP. The party president, in particular, will have to seriously examine her own role. She will need to ask herself whether she has the moral authority to lead the party through the very necessary reorganisation and reinvention.
Under her leadership, can the party realistically regroup and provide the motivated leadership that is necessary, without the blood-letting that comes from power struggle?
From this distance, the available evidence suggests to this newspaper that the answer to those questions is a resounding 'no', which is untenable.
Because the truth is that Jamaica needs a strong and focused PNP.
Observer to give advice to the PNP? 
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