Thu | Mar 28, 2024

Hanna first to starting line

Published:Thursday | October 22, 2020 | 2:34 PMRomario Scott/Gleaner Writer
Hanna
Hanna

Lisa Hanna became the first official candidate in the November 7 race for the president of the People’s National Party (PNP), submitting nomination papers yesterday afternoon.

Hanna, backed by a number of women in the PNP, including Imani Duncan Price, Denise Daley, and Donna Scott Mottley, marched to the party’s 89 Old Hope Road headquarters in St Andrew for the occasion.

The sizeable crowd of supporters chanted and sang, waving orange flags bearing Hanna’s image as they marched.

The process of nomination was completed in a short time, with cheers from the small group of 12 allowed to witness the moment and also sign the nomination form.

“Every single Jamaican, they need to know that I will not let them down,” the St Ann South Eastern member of Parliament said as she threw her hat into the ring.

“What we need in Jamaica and what we need in the PNP is love. What we need is unity. What we need is to make sure that everybody in the PNP knows that their voice is important,” she said, addressing supporters who came out for the occasion.

In outlining her plans to reunite the fractured PNP, Hanna suggested that she would reposition specific protocols for the treatment of differences or disagreements to not cause damage to the party.

She has also suggested having a disciplinary committee “for those who disregard our rules or act in a manner to damage the PNP brand”.

Hanna also outlined plans to change how the party operates, saying that the general secretary would not be an elected parliamentarian, so that person can “focus on the full-time day-to-day operations of the party and physical monitoring of constituency organisation”.

Hanna said that as president, she would retool and modernise the PNP secretariat, adding computer programmers and information technology experts with capabilities in data management and analysis and who would be able to detect and counter cybersabotage and other cybercrimes.

She said the secretariat would place emphasis on enumeration and the monitoring of voters’ lists and constituency management.

Hanna has also put on the table term limits for presidents and vice-presidents of the PNP.