No date yet for ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ - Golding and Campbell could face off late July or early August
Published:Friday | June 24, 2016 | 12:00 AMErica Virtue
There is no date yet for the much-anticipated heavyweight clash between Colin Campbell and Mark Golding for the right to chair the People's National Party (PNP) machinery in the St Andrew South constituency.
Both camps are preparing for the face-off in late July or early August, but up to yesterday, no date had been set, PNP Deputy General Secretary Julian Robinson told our news team that it is not the job of the party's secretariat to make the call.
"The constituency is a recognised one, and so it will determine the date of the internal polls. They have such a right under the party's constitution," Robinson told The Sunday Gleaner.
PNP General Secretary Paul Burke provided clarity as he told our news team that, for the party a recognised constituency is one with more than 20 functioning groups with members who are fully paid up by February of each year, when vetting is done.
Burke said the delegates will propose a date to the party through the office of the general secretary, which he will take to the executive committee and, "that's the body that will make a decision".
Approximately 70 delegates will vote to select the chairman of the constituency, with that number being multiplied by about 10 to select the person to contest the next election.
PNP CONSTITUTION AMENDED
The PNP amended its constitution in 2004 to allow all registered members in recognised constituencies to select their representatives, requiring all contenders, even in constituencies where only one person is on the ballot, to face a vote by party members.
This time around, the Comrades will chose one of two former Cabinet ministers, Campbell, who served as minister of information and development, and Golding who served as minister of justice.
The winner will replace current Member of Parliament Dr Omar Davies as chairman of the constituency, and while it is not automatic, it is highly likely that the new constituency chairman will become the party's representative in the next general election, which Davies has indicated he will not contest.