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PNP insiders say DK Duncan seen as better general secretary
BY HG HELPS, Editor-at-Large Investigative Coverage Unit icu@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, June 19, 2009
There is a move afoot to oust embattled Peter Bunting as general secretary of the People's National Party (PNP), senior party sources have told the Observer.
And it has very little to do with the latest saga in which Bunting, seen by some as a potential successor to party leader Portia Simpson Miller, irked some PNP officials by posting comments that were deemed to be provocative, if not offensive, on his Internet Facebook page between Wednesday and yesterday, on the heels of the party's fourth consecutive election loss to the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
Bunting has since sought to clarify the Facebook comments by stating that his remarks were not meant to disrespect Simpson Miller, but the broader picture of his seeming inability to energise and recapitalise the party has contributed most to his neck being moved closer to the chopping block, insiders said.
Desmond Gregory Mair's win over Granville Valentine in the by-election to decide the North East St Catherine seat dug fresh wounds into the fabric of the PNP, which has been divided by bitter battles for leadership at various levels over the last three years.
The party's dominance of national politics ended after 18 straight years on September 3, 2007 when it was beaten by the JLP in the general election. That defeat was followed by another to the JLP in the local government election held December of that same year, and then the by-election in West Portland that saw the JLP's Daryl Vaz thumping the PNP's Kenneth Rowe to settle a dual citizenship row that was also the root cause of the by-election in North-East St Catherine.
Bunting, the member of parliament for Central Manchester, has been under fire from factions in the PNP who believe that he does not understand fully the job of general secretary and the elements involved, including the need for a full-scale mobilisation exercise.
"Peter has not been the kind of general secretary that the party needs to rev the engine and to get things moving," one senior official told this paper, on condition that he is not named.
"The party leader and many other members of the leadership are not pleased with his performance and work," the official said.
Veteran politician Dr DK Duncan, who served as the party's general secretary in the 1970s, is being eyed as Bunting's successor.
"DK is the one that Mrs Simpson Miller and some others want to become general secretary, largely because of his sharp organisational skills," the official said.
Simpson Miller could not be reached for confirmation of the comments and repeated attempts to reach Bunting by telephone failed.
PNP chairman Bobby Pickersgill also declined to confirm or deny that there were plans to get Bunting out.
"Even if that were so, you wouldn't hear it from me," Pickersgill said.
"Matters like that have to be thrashed out internally. We haven't met yet to evaluate and analyse. Until and unless we have a meeting with the leadership, we can't go out there talking. The talking has caused all of this," Pickersgill said.
Bunting, who once operated the investment banking firm Dehring, Bunting and Golding (DB&G) before it was bought out by Scotiabank, was expected to have pumped his own money, some of which was earned from the sale of DB&G, into the cash-strapped party, officials said.
It was also felt that with his local and international contacts and clout, he would have been able to excite companies and individuals into making substantial financial contributions to the party.
"He has also failed to get support from the public," the party official said. "Look how poor the party appeared in the lead-up to the last by-election in St Catherine, not to mention the one in Portland. The party could not even afford a decent radio, TV or newspaper ad. How then could we expect to win an election when we can't even send the message out to voters in regard to what we intend to do.
"As long as we have a combination of Peter as general secretary and Portia as president, this party will go nowhere. Portia's presence is also turning away contributors," the official added.
"The general secretary doesn't have a clue," another PNP insider said of Bunting in the lead-up to the West Portland election.
The general secretary is elected by the party's second highest decision-making body, the National Executive Council, unlike the election of the president and four vice-presidents, which is done at its annual conference, the main decision-making forum.
Senior PNP vice-president Dr Fenton Ferguson, the only other official who was willing to be identified for this story, said that the time for the party to sort out its differences and difficulties was now.
"The result of Tuesday's by-election is clearly a good victory for the ruling Labour party and it has confirmed that the PNP needs to get its organisational act together and needs to spend more time not just to concentrate on by-elections, but to reflect and to put our house in order," said Ferguson.
"Whatever perception there is about disunity, the time has come for us to deal with it in an honest way. If we continue like this, it could lead to the demise of the oldest political party in the region and could also contribute to a lack of funding for the programmes that we need to put in place," said Dr Ferguson, who some officials believe could be a contender for party leader when the time comes.
The party's leadership has not met in caucus to determine the reasons for the loss of another by-election, something that has left some in their higher echelons fuming.
"I would have expected that we would have had a meeting by now to blow off some steam," one said.
"We need to meet now and determine what is happening on the ground, arising from the beating. People will always look for scapegoats, so when we meet, we will be able to determine what was responsible.
"There will be a lot of rumblings, but we need an officers' meeting to straighten things out," the official said.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...XE_BUNTING.asp
BY HG HELPS, Editor-at-Large Investigative Coverage Unit icu@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, June 19, 2009
There is a move afoot to oust embattled Peter Bunting as general secretary of the People's National Party (PNP), senior party sources have told the Observer.
And it has very little to do with the latest saga in which Bunting, seen by some as a potential successor to party leader Portia Simpson Miller, irked some PNP officials by posting comments that were deemed to be provocative, if not offensive, on his Internet Facebook page between Wednesday and yesterday, on the heels of the party's fourth consecutive election loss to the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
Bunting has since sought to clarify the Facebook comments by stating that his remarks were not meant to disrespect Simpson Miller, but the broader picture of his seeming inability to energise and recapitalise the party has contributed most to his neck being moved closer to the chopping block, insiders said.
Desmond Gregory Mair's win over Granville Valentine in the by-election to decide the North East St Catherine seat dug fresh wounds into the fabric of the PNP, which has been divided by bitter battles for leadership at various levels over the last three years.
The party's dominance of national politics ended after 18 straight years on September 3, 2007 when it was beaten by the JLP in the general election. That defeat was followed by another to the JLP in the local government election held December of that same year, and then the by-election in West Portland that saw the JLP's Daryl Vaz thumping the PNP's Kenneth Rowe to settle a dual citizenship row that was also the root cause of the by-election in North-East St Catherine.
Bunting, the member of parliament for Central Manchester, has been under fire from factions in the PNP who believe that he does not understand fully the job of general secretary and the elements involved, including the need for a full-scale mobilisation exercise.
"Peter has not been the kind of general secretary that the party needs to rev the engine and to get things moving," one senior official told this paper, on condition that he is not named.
"The party leader and many other members of the leadership are not pleased with his performance and work," the official said.
Veteran politician Dr DK Duncan, who served as the party's general secretary in the 1970s, is being eyed as Bunting's successor.
"DK is the one that Mrs Simpson Miller and some others want to become general secretary, largely because of his sharp organisational skills," the official said.
Simpson Miller could not be reached for confirmation of the comments and repeated attempts to reach Bunting by telephone failed.
PNP chairman Bobby Pickersgill also declined to confirm or deny that there were plans to get Bunting out.
"Even if that were so, you wouldn't hear it from me," Pickersgill said.
"Matters like that have to be thrashed out internally. We haven't met yet to evaluate and analyse. Until and unless we have a meeting with the leadership, we can't go out there talking. The talking has caused all of this," Pickersgill said.
Bunting, who once operated the investment banking firm Dehring, Bunting and Golding (DB&G) before it was bought out by Scotiabank, was expected to have pumped his own money, some of which was earned from the sale of DB&G, into the cash-strapped party, officials said.
It was also felt that with his local and international contacts and clout, he would have been able to excite companies and individuals into making substantial financial contributions to the party.
"He has also failed to get support from the public," the party official said. "Look how poor the party appeared in the lead-up to the last by-election in St Catherine, not to mention the one in Portland. The party could not even afford a decent radio, TV or newspaper ad. How then could we expect to win an election when we can't even send the message out to voters in regard to what we intend to do.
"As long as we have a combination of Peter as general secretary and Portia as president, this party will go nowhere. Portia's presence is also turning away contributors," the official added.
"The general secretary doesn't have a clue," another PNP insider said of Bunting in the lead-up to the West Portland election.
The general secretary is elected by the party's second highest decision-making body, the National Executive Council, unlike the election of the president and four vice-presidents, which is done at its annual conference, the main decision-making forum.
Senior PNP vice-president Dr Fenton Ferguson, the only other official who was willing to be identified for this story, said that the time for the party to sort out its differences and difficulties was now.
"The result of Tuesday's by-election is clearly a good victory for the ruling Labour party and it has confirmed that the PNP needs to get its organisational act together and needs to spend more time not just to concentrate on by-elections, but to reflect and to put our house in order," said Ferguson.
"Whatever perception there is about disunity, the time has come for us to deal with it in an honest way. If we continue like this, it could lead to the demise of the oldest political party in the region and could also contribute to a lack of funding for the programmes that we need to put in place," said Dr Ferguson, who some officials believe could be a contender for party leader when the time comes.
The party's leadership has not met in caucus to determine the reasons for the loss of another by-election, something that has left some in their higher echelons fuming.
"I would have expected that we would have had a meeting by now to blow off some steam," one said.
"We need to meet now and determine what is happening on the ground, arising from the beating. People will always look for scapegoats, so when we meet, we will be able to determine what was responsible.
"There will be a lot of rumblings, but we need an officers' meeting to straighten things out," the official said.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...XE_BUNTING.asp
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