East Kingston kingmakers! - Angela rubbishes claims that she is part of a cabal trying to dictate the PNP’s future

People's National Party (PNP) vice-president Angela Brown Burke has described as rubbish suggestions that the political power in her hands, the reach of her husband Paul, the party's general secretary, and strong following of Phillip Paulwell, the chairman of the party's powerful Region Three, are too much for one constituency.

The three are close friends of PNP president Portia Simpson Miller, and there has long been whispers inside the party that they form an 'East Kingston Mafia' intent on dictating the future of the party and putting persons in key positions so that they can determine who should become its next president.

Brown Burke laughed long and loud when our news team asked her about the alleged powerful cabal.

LEGACY

"Sometimes when I hear these things, I ask myself what does that mean, and then I marvel at the power that people attribute to us. I came in the PNP and that's where I met Paul, and he comes with his own style.

"For quite some time he (Paul) was not active in East Kingston. Phillip (Paulwell) and I have an excellent relationship. We are part of the leadership of East Kingston and Port Royal and we are trying to actually make a contribution and leave a legacy in East Kingston," said Brown Burke.

She argued that it is hard to believe that individuals think they have regular round-table discussions on how to capture the PNP from the people of Jamaica and the bona fide Comrades.

"One of the things I can tell you categorically, we don't sit down from time to time and say we are going to determine the future of the PNP. That's not what we are talking about. We want to see more people in East Kingston economically independent.

"We want to see the children from the constituency being able to get places in any school in the Corporate Area," she stated in a spirited defence of her husband, her politics, and her MP.

STEP UP

Brown Burke, who is in a fight to retain her place as one of the PNP's four vice-presidents, said she was comfortable serving from any position in the party.

"I am comfortable being the voice of the people. I am comfortable playing my role at local government. In truth, I wish we had way more individuals who would step up and step out and claim the authority that we have. I believe that part of what people attribute to us is part of their own refusal to invest in the people over which they have authority," charged Brown Burke.

She said empowerment of the constituents and the people of the country were the only reason for her political service.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com