Crawford in limbo - Paulwell says Portland East exit not a done deal; confirms Fagan in St Catherine South East
Published:Friday | January 10, 2020 | 12:43 AMRomario Scott/Gleaner Writer
Uncertainty looms over the political future of People’s National Party (PNP) Vice-President Damion Crawford heading into the next general election, but campaign director Phillip Paulwell says the party is working to heal a new fracture.
Crawford yesterday confirmed that he has been wanting to step out of the PNP’s shadow Cabinet because he has taken a financial hit since returning to representational politics.
The PNP politician lost a by-election last April against the Jamaica Labour Party’s Ann-Marie Vaz to represent Portland Eastern.
His move to withdraw from the shadow Cabinet coincides with the recall of Dr Dayton Campbell, the pinch-hitter of Peter Bunting’s failed bid to wrest power of the 81-year-old party from President Dr Peter Phillips.
Paulwell has confirmed with The Gleaner that there is also uncertainty surrounding whether Crawford will be on the party’s ticket in Portland Eastern for a second time.
“That (Damion Crawford issue) is not settled. It is not easy for a young person to be in the cut and thrust of day-to-day politics. It is draining on day-to-day resources. We understand Damion’s situation, but we are working with him on the issues,” Paulwell said yesterday.
His comments contrast, however, with Crawford’s revelation to RJR talk-show host Emily Shields yesterday afternoon that he had thrown in the towel with Portland Eastern because the hustings had sapped his money and passion.
Since his bruising defeat, Crawford’s name has been called in a number of other constituencies, most notably South East St Catherine, where fellow Comrade Colin Fagan is the incumbent.
Fagan, a long-time PNP organiser who rose up the ranks to become member of parliament, had backed Peter Bunting over Dr Peter Phillips in the September leadership race and has been fighting internal battles to hold on to the constituency.
His critics argue that his support has waned badly.
However, The Gleaner learnt yesterday that Fagan has been confirmed to run again on the party’s ticket for the constituency.
“Colin Fagan is our candidate. That is settled. He is going to win. We are very confident that he is going to retain the seat,” the PNP’s national campaign director said, acknowledging previous concerns.
Paulwell said that the PNP would be having a leadership retreat with all its candidates this weekend as the party shifts gears.
“We are going to be meeting with all our candidates this weekend (Saturday and Sunday), during which time we are going to have in-depth discussions with them on the organisation in their constituency.”
More Proactive
Paulwell disclosed to The Gleaner yesterday that the party would be rolling out a new messaging platform after this weekend’s retreat.
“We are going to ensure that our bloggers and party central are in better sync in terms of our messaging, and we are going to be a lot more proactive with respect to the issues as they occur,” Paulwell said yesterday, emphasising that the PNP would be seeking to reach the youth voters.
“There is a marketing push that will be quite aggressive,” Paulwell said.
The PNP campaign team has recruited former Member of Parliament Raymond Pryce to lead the party’s communication strategy for the election.
In the meantime, Paulwell said the party has moved to reach out to contributors as the temperature heats up, with a general election constitutionally due in 2021.
“Many want to wait to see when the actual date is. We are going to be fine. We never spend as much as the JLP, but what we will get will be used to ensure that we are competitive in all the areas where we need to win,” he said.
“Since we have settled the leadership issue, and certainly in recent times when there is a clear showing that we are coming back together as one party, people (contributors) have become far more responsive. People are definitely responding now,” Paulwell asserted.