PNP may lose election plot

THE EDITOR, Sir:

The People’s National Party (PNP) leadership election is behind us, but it could be said that the consequences are with us.

One of the main consequences of the leadership election is that the party could seem to be divided, and that this will give an advantage to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) if Andrew Holness were now to call a general election. There is evidence of this division.

Although P.J. Patterson exhorted both sides of the contest to come together as one, people are still hurt, and some are still wondering if a Peter David Phillips-led PNP is electorally viable.

There is genuine concern that the PNP’s platform built on attacking the JLP Government on rampant corruption, the absence of First-World healthcare facilities, giving squatters titles to land (which some see as stealing land from taxpaying landowners), among other things, will not be enough to defeat the JLP.

While the JLP seems to craft its strategy around polling the electorate to see what’s important to them, the PNP seems to believe that it already knows what’s important to voters. However, the PNP needs to consult with those who have their finger on the pulse of the people. If they rely on historical knowledge, it might lead to the defeat of Phillips’ PNP.

WESLEY MORRIS

drwesleymorris@hotmail.com