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PNP drops 4 long-time South East St. Ann candidates
PNP General Secretary Donald Buchanan
More problems could be on the horizon for the People's National Party (PNP) concerning its candidate selection exercise in the constituency of South East St. Ann.
Tuesday night PNP General Secretary Donald Buchanan announced that the four aspirants who were seeking to replace Aloun Assamba have been told that they are excluded from being selected as candidates for the upcoming General Election.
Mr. Buchanan admitted that the decision which was made at a meeting on Monday night has not gone down well with some of the four individuals.
The list of aspirants had comprised popular St. Ann businesswoman Sheree Brown-McDonald, who was seen as the likely replacement to Mrs. Assamba, engineer Donald McDowell, environmentalist Bevon Morrison, and executive director of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs Lenworth Fulton.
Mr. Buchanan says the decision was a tough one but was necessary in order to keep the constituency united.
Responding to reports that former Miss World, Lisa Hanna, is being tipped to fill the vacancy, Mr. Buchanan said the party had not yet signed off on a candidate.
But he did disclose that Miss Hanna is considered as the top contender.
In the meantime, political analyst Shalman Scott says the PNP has poorly handled the selection of a candidate for South East St. Ann.
Mr. Scott says the decision to drop the four candidates is highly suspicious and will have repercussions for the party. “This is begging for trouble which the PNP could well do without at this time.”
And political analyst Kevin O'Brien Chang says he is puzzled by the PNP's decision to make overtures to Miss Hanna.
He says the party is ignoring warnings from some supporters in South East St. Ann that they will not accept an outsider representing them in the Election.
“Lisa Hanna campaigned for the JLP last election, was one of their voices, did a lot of stuff. The whole thing with ‘cock mouth kill cock’ with Karl Samuda, it’s natural we will see some of that in the replay [of] stuff she was saying then.
“So it is a very curious decision both on a local level and on a national level. And the question it’s gonna raise in a lot of people’s minds is – what is the decision making process? How did the Prime Minister arrive at this decision? What was her rationale? Who did she consult with? And to me that’s going to be the biggest ramification,” he said.
PNP General Secretary Donald Buchanan
More problems could be on the horizon for the People's National Party (PNP) concerning its candidate selection exercise in the constituency of South East St. Ann.
Tuesday night PNP General Secretary Donald Buchanan announced that the four aspirants who were seeking to replace Aloun Assamba have been told that they are excluded from being selected as candidates for the upcoming General Election.
Mr. Buchanan admitted that the decision which was made at a meeting on Monday night has not gone down well with some of the four individuals.
The list of aspirants had comprised popular St. Ann businesswoman Sheree Brown-McDonald, who was seen as the likely replacement to Mrs. Assamba, engineer Donald McDowell, environmentalist Bevon Morrison, and executive director of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs Lenworth Fulton.
Mr. Buchanan says the decision was a tough one but was necessary in order to keep the constituency united.
Responding to reports that former Miss World, Lisa Hanna, is being tipped to fill the vacancy, Mr. Buchanan said the party had not yet signed off on a candidate.
But he did disclose that Miss Hanna is considered as the top contender.
In the meantime, political analyst Shalman Scott says the PNP has poorly handled the selection of a candidate for South East St. Ann.
Mr. Scott says the decision to drop the four candidates is highly suspicious and will have repercussions for the party. “This is begging for trouble which the PNP could well do without at this time.”
And political analyst Kevin O'Brien Chang says he is puzzled by the PNP's decision to make overtures to Miss Hanna.
He says the party is ignoring warnings from some supporters in South East St. Ann that they will not accept an outsider representing them in the Election.
“Lisa Hanna campaigned for the JLP last election, was one of their voices, did a lot of stuff. The whole thing with ‘cock mouth kill cock’ with Karl Samuda, it’s natural we will see some of that in the replay [of] stuff she was saying then.
“So it is a very curious decision both on a local level and on a national level. And the question it’s gonna raise in a lot of people’s minds is – what is the decision making process? How did the Prime Minister arrive at this decision? What was her rationale? Who did she consult with? And to me that’s going to be the biggest ramification,” he said.