PNP councillors against Ian Hayles running in Western Westmoreland
Published:Wednesday | May 17, 2023 | 8:44 AM
Turmoil is bubbling in another People's National Party (PNP) selection process as councillors in Western Westmoreland have indicated they are against the inclusion of Ian Hayles as an aspirant to represent the seat.
The party's leadership has dismissed the demands of the four councillors, insisting that the process must be allowed to play out.
But, with a protest reportedly planned for today and the councillors allegedly discussing crossing the floor in protest, a move that would shift the balance of power in the municipal corporation in favour of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), voices are getting louder with the suggestion that the PNP's top brass should rethink its approach and head off a rebellion.
Hayles, a defeated former MP for Hanover Western, and councillor for the Sheffield Division Garfield James are the two who will face delegates at a conference on June 4, a vote the councillors are also against.
PNP General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell said the men have satisfied the party's selection process which includes a screening at the regional level, an integrity assessment and meeting a threshold in a constituency poll to be considered a viable candidate, a new element in this selection cycle.
"What is happening is that the councillor is saying he is not willing to go to the delegates and he's saying that the party should also tell Ian Hayles that he can't go. There's nowhere in the rules that allows for that. So, we are actually saying, our recommendation from the executive of the party is that the selection goes to the next stage which is the delegates' conference," he told The Gleaner Tuesday evening.
He said a challenger can refuse to run but "they can't decide that the other person should not run. They don't have that authority."
Telephone calls to James have gone unanswered.
Hayles has declined to comment, saying “the general secretary of the party and party leadership have asked that no aspirant communicates with the media”.
Upset Councillors
The councillors have raised numerous issues to argue why they believe Hayles should not be allowed in the race, adding, too, that a voting exercise will "only result in further disunity in the constituency."
"It is not about Comrade Garfield James seeking power, it has to do with finding a suitable candidate to represent the decency and integrity that our constituency deserves," read a letter dated May 10 and signed by James; Mayor and Councillor for Negril Bertel Moore; Ian Myles who represents and Little London, and Lawton McKenzie who is the councillor for the Grange Hill Division.
In the letter, addressed to the general secretary, the councillors said they had recommended that if James is not the chosen person, they would be "willing to work with someone else, but we are vehemently against having Comrade Ian Hayles as our parliamentary candidate.
"Why then should the stage be set for four sitting councillors' views to be totally discarded by using this process (delegates' vote)?" they said, adding that "we will not negotiate our current position on the future of Comrade Ian Hayles."
The party leader has the power to select a candidate and bypass the delegates' conference.
The councillors also raised questions about the screening done by the PNP's internal Integrity Commission which is chaired by Daisy Coke as well as the registration of groups, a key unit of organisation and selection of persons who vote (delegates) in the party.
The councillors claim that "over 60" groups were added to the constituency group register "that did not go through the required process" and that their concerns have not been addressed.
They also outlined concerns about the poll relied on by the party to determine that Hayles met the threshold for progressing in the selection process.
"The four councillors who are the flag bearers of the constituency, with a sitting Jamaica Labour Party Member of Parliament, are now convinced that we are being disrespected and our recommendation is deemed to be irrelevant. Our relevance and currency on the ground are unquestionable ...We will never trade integrity for expediency or nepotistic shielding," they added, giving Campbell three days to respond.
They ended with a vague declaration that "all options will remain on the table,” what some insiders say includes the contemplation to cross the floor of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation.
Party's Position
General Secretary Campbell said the party communicated its position during a meeting with the councillors on May 14 and that the party's executive on Monday approved pushing back the elections one week to June 4.
He said the two sides also have had a draft delegates' list to review for more than a week.
According to him, persons outside of the talks have been trying to disrupt the process.
"All of what is going, what you're hearing otherwise is people trying to do something outside of the process. They (Hayles and James) are actually sticking to the process."
Meanwhile, Campbell said he "has not been made aware of anything" as it relates to findings from the party's Integrity Commission on Hayles.
He said those details are only shared with the party leader Mark Golding.
"If the councillors are privy to something that is untoward about Comrade Hayles then they probably should share it. But they can't just go around with these allegations," he said.
The Government's Integrity Commission earlier this year released a long-completed investigation into allegations of conflict of interest, irregularity or impropriety in relation to the construction buildings in Hanover by Hayles during his time as Hanover Western MP.
The commission recommended Hayles and his wife Charlotte to the Commissioner of Police over allegations of forgery.
He was also referred on allegations that he tried to influence a former mayor of Lucea.
Hayles has denied the allegations.
Hayles
And the PNP General Secretary said the party has not sought an update from the police.
"Should he be charged for something ...then certainly that would affect his standing. Currently, we assume that persons are innocent until proven otherwise," Campbell said.
In 2020, under Hayles, the Hanover Western constituency fell to the ruling Jamaica Labour Party for the first time since 1989.
Morland Wilson shockingly defeated former PNP vice president Dr Wykeham McNeill in 2020 to win the seat for the JLP.
The JLP holds all three seats in Westmoreland, once considered a PNP bastion.
The PNP has been hit with controversy in the selection of candidates for several seats including South East St Ann and South East St Catherine.
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