PNP faces turbulence in St Catherine SE
Party struggles to quell dissatisfaction over Dawes’ candidacy
Published:Sunday | June 2, 2024 | 12:10 AMRuddy Mathison - Sunday Gleaner Writer
Dissent continues to brew within the ranks of the People’s National Party (PNP) in St Catherine South Eastern over Dr Alfred Dawes’ prospective candidacy in the upcoming general election.
Despite the seeming endorsement of party stalwarts such as former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, former Justice Minister K.D. Knight, and PNP President Mark Golding, some delegates remain dissatisfied with Dawes as the party’s pick for a potential face-off with Jamaica Labour Party incumbent Robert Miller.
On the sidelines of a meeting called last Friday night in an attempt to put cool the simmering discontent, some delegates told The Sunday Gleaner that Dawes’ leadership has been ineffective as they continued to question the selection process to install him as the constituency’s standard-bearer.
“Dr Dawes has not done anything to unite the supporters in the constituency since the party selected him in an unfair process,” argued an Edgewater delegate, ruling that Alric Campbell, who had stronger poll results and delegate support, was bypassed for Dawes. “We did not support this move and we still don’t. Furthermore, Dawes has not done any organisational work since he was selected.”
The PNP had circumvented the usual process of polling and delegate votes, as ratified by its National Executive Committee, to choose candidates in constituencies lacking existing structures, in picking Dawes.
Golding used his reserved power last year to select Dawes over Campbell, a long-serving councillor and deputy mayor for Portmore. Campbell’s supporters protested this decision, leading to demonstrations and an arson attack on the constituency office.
A Waterford delegate on Friday criticised Dawes’ inability to gain local support, calling him a “loser”.
“He doesn’t even know who the delegates are in Waterford. The PNP cannot win with Dawes because we are not supporting him,” said the delegate.
Another party functionary from Bridgeport echoed the concerns.
“He comes off like he is entitled and that attitude will not work with us. We want someone who shares our values,” the delegate stated.
At Friday’s meeting, which was attended by Golding, General Secretary Dayton Campbell and Alric Campbell, the party sought to bring an end to the impasse.
After hours of discussions, Golding emerged, painting a picture of unity.
“I feel very pleased that we had this meeting today. Everybody spoke their minds frankly and there was a nice spirit at the end of the meeting of love and cooperation,” Golding said.
MORE DIALOGUE NEEDED
He acknowledged, however, that more dialogue is necessary, but said there is unity in the house.
“I am very happy for this. Dialogue has to be ongoing, but we are happy with what we achieved tonight,” the PNP president said.
General Secretary Campbell avoided commenting on the issue, calling for a focus on Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ statutory declarations that have not been cleared by the Integrity Commission rather than a private internal party meeting.
The party will make further attempts to mend the fractures today in a party workers meeting to be attended by senior party figures, including Patterson, Knight, and Jennifer Edwards.
When contacted for comment, Dawes, who is the opposition spokesperson on health, stated he would provide his own account of the situation.
“I hope your record of the stories can stand up to the spotlight,” was all he would offer to The Sunday Gleaner.
Alric Campbell, meanwhile, is confident in his ability to wrest the seat back from the JLP if chosen.
“I know the people still want me to represent them. I have the organisational structure on the ground,” he said, citing his recent success in the local government elections.