Broaden electorate for internal party elections

THE EDITOR, Sir:

With the current selection contest for the leadership of the People’s National Party, should we not now consider a change to our flawed, restrictive, and excessively partisan leadership selection system? A change to the system could result in benefits to Jamaica’s governance system.

Under the current ‘closed-selection’ system, only PNP or Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) delegates can vote for candidates in the respective selections. Then when a general or local government election is called, the two major-party nominees, and the rare independent, or minor-party candidates, meet in a general election open to all registered voters. A switch in the selection process for party candidates can benefit our system of governance.

The closed-selection process is the method Jamaica’s political parties use to identify candidates for elected office. In this process, only registered members of that party can take part. In an open selection, voters in the community can take part in the selection process, as long as they are registered to vote. A growing segment of our population is not affiliated with either party or is, therefore, blocked from taking part in closed candidate selection. An open selection encourages voter participation and leads to greater turnout at the polls.

What is being suggested is a combination of both types of system and creating a partially open selection process. Partially open selection can benefit our system of governance and increase public participation in the process. Voters in this system are allowed to choose which party’s candidates they are supporting, but they must either publicly declare their selection or identify with the party in whose selection they are participating. A suggested method is as follows:

1. All registered party members can vote.

2. All voters registered in that division/constituency can vote.

3. Registered voters can vote in only one party’s selection contested, not both.

4. Each non-party vote is given a value of 50 per cent.

5. A candidate must obtain a minimum of 25 per cent of their total votes being from party members.

Is it not time for us to implement a new system of candidate selection - one that can that improve our system of governance and increase voter participation?

VICTOR J.N. CUMMINGS