Jaevion Nelson | Rebuilding PNP after Peter D-Day

The 2,840 People’s National Party (PNP) delegates who are eligible to vote in today’s leadership battle between Rise United’s Peter Murcott Bunting (2nd Peter) and One PNP’s Peter David Phillips (1st Peter) have an important decision to make. 

Polls commissioned by both candidates suggest that one is more likely than the other to win the next general election but, based on independent polls conducted, people have concluded that whatever the outcome of today’s election, the odds are stacked against both 1st and 2nd Peter. 

Some political commentators have said this is simply a race to the bottom to determine who would lose better against the politically savvy and well-liked Andrew Holness of the Jamaica Labour Party but recent elections have shown that any 'kyaad' can play at any time and change the ‘inevitable’. 

At the start of the leadership race, I had much hope that there would be substantial discussions (not banter) about the challenges facing the party, including its performance and standing with the electorate. I wanted to hear workable solutions to address the issues Comrades, commentators and others have bemoaned about for months. 

I hoped, naively I suppose, that though not the tendency, there would have been some sort of admission and that they would take stock of their party and demand more of both candidates. Note, I am not saying that this has not happened at all. I admit that my knowledge is somewhat limited because, beyond traditional and social media, I am not privy to the conversations that would have been had with persons in communities and other spaces while both camps canvassed and wooed those they engaged. 

In 2016, I argued, in this paper, that the PNP “is in a peculiar position as it wrestles with the notion of 'renewal' and maintaining much of what has been touted as sound beliefs and practices that make it the political party of choice.” Sadly, three years later, not much seems to have changed. 

Save for the now energised base (thanks to the challenge), it remains lacklustre and leaves us wanting. I hope, though, that the interest the leadership challenge has generated nationally will cause delegates to realise that the outcome of this hotly contested election is as much about the PNP as it is about the future of our democracy. 

Quite frankly, it’s a daunting responsibility that they alone have to make as we hanker to see who they decide will get the coveted title. The delegates and party workers may not necessarily realise this as yet because quite a bit of their attention, I believe, has been about who can win the next general election than it has been about the circumstances that lead to the challenge in the first place. 

Given that today is D-Day, they must now realise that their decision will determine the calibre and leadership of the party in the coming months to play a more effective role as the Opposition, including holding the Government more accountable to its obligations to us, the people. 

The country cannot wait until the PNP regains power for it to perform. We have not that luxury to twiddle our thumbs as its exceptionality percolates until it becomes Government. Whether in Government or Opposition, we the people require political parties to be outstanding. 

Therefore, at the end of the day, the delegates will have to cast their votes based on: 
- the candidate they feel is best suited to lead the party at this important juncture in their history;
- who puts them in better stead to compete and possibly beat the JLP when an election is called;
- the individuals with the plans to modernise the party, address the challenges they are having, improve the communications, etc;
- the person who can engender confidence in their leadership among the National Executive Council, Regional Executive Council, party workers, party members and the Jamaican people at large, and
the individual who with the help and support of their team can present bold, inspiring and workable ideas.

Commendations and good wishes to both candidates. One hopes that after today’s historic vote, whoever wins will leverage the energy this leadership challenge has generated to breathe more life into the party while adequately dealing with the challenges that came about because of the elections.                                                        
 

Jaevion Nelson is a human-rights lobbyist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.