PNP looks to shake up leadership selection process
Published:Saturday | September 17, 2022 | 12:09 AMKimone Francis/Senior Staff Reporter
The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) is expected to present two pivotal resolutions to its annual conference on Sunday which, if approved, will change the way the leadership corps of the 84-year-old organisation is selected.
The Mark Golding-led hierarchy is seeking to widen the democratic process within the party by allowing its approximately 30,000 members to vote in internal elections instead of continuing with the decades-old delegates system currently in place.
The party has just over 3,000 delegates who vote on behalf of groups in internal polls.
It means that for every 10 to 15 people in a group, one is designated a delegate and votes on behalf of that group.
Along with the universal voting rights at the local level, PNP members within the diaspora are also expected to obtain the right to vote through a second resolution.
“It solidifies who we are as a democratic movement and it ensures that there is no manipulation in terms of how one would seek to manipulate the delegates system,” said PNP General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell.
The move would mean that the party will have to decentralise its future elections by allowing members to vote by parishes.
“What we are doing now is to set a solid foundation and a base on which we can now step forward and have a meaningful conversation with a track record showing what we have done, and when we say something, persons don’t have to question whether or not it is just talk,” he said.
The resolutions were debated within the six regions of the party, Campbell said.
Fifteen resolutions in total will be put to the conference floor.
Golding, meanwhile, said that the universal voting rights change is central to the health of the party, but noted that the group system, which is the foundation of the party, will remain in place.
“We’re trying to develop the groups as a construct that will do good works in the communities. They’re the eyes and ears of the party on the ground. They are important for the sharing of information and political education,” he said.
Groups are also responsible for fundraising activities and enumeration, among other constituted responsibilities.
The party allows as many groups within a constituency as there are polling divisions.
Meanwhile, Golding said that the party’s rank and file are energised and keen to see progress.
“They like the adjustments we have made to our shadow Cabinet and not just shadow Cabinet but parliamentary arrangements around that. We’ve brought closer into the centre of decision-making some of the key people who I think are important team players within the party.
“We wanted to make sure that everybody saw them as having that prominent role and that went down well. So, overall I’m pleased with the way things are going,” said Golding.
He said that the leadership of the party has been “fairly inwardly focused” because of the issues it has had to address.
“Now that I think we are substantially past those, Team PNP needs to be much more outwardly focused in terms of delivering our message to the people, and that will start with this conference and continue thereafter,” he said, adding that he will resume his activities of being on the ground.
He said that the party’s fortunes will continue to improve going forward.