No public session at JLP conference this year

Veteran politician J.C. Hutchinson will step down as deputy leader, highlighting leadership changes as the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) shifts to a scaled-down, private delegates-only conference on Sunday, November 15.

The JLP announced at a press conference on Friday, that this year’s annual conference will only be open to its 6,000 delegates and will be held at the Montego Bay Conference Centre in St James.

Deputy Leader Desmond McKenzie said the decision was made by the party’s central executive, as sections of the island continue to deal with the aftermath of category-5 Hurricane Melissa just over a year ago.

“The conference will feature the private session, which will include the election of deputy leaders and the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party. I want to point out that former member of parliament and deputy leader, J.C. Hutchinson, has indicated that he will not be seeking re-election, and the member of parliament for St James Central, Heroy Clarke, has been nominated by the Area Council (Four] and that nomination will be ratified in the business session of the conference,” McKenzie said.

Political annual conferences are known for their carnival-like atmospheres and the JLP would normally host thousands of green clad “Labourites” at the National Arena in Kingston.

“ We wanted to forgo the celebratory aspect of our annual conference and deal with a private or a business session that will afford us the opportunity to programme political activities, do a self-assessment as to where we are as a political party, and engage the most important members of the party, the delegates of the party, as we make or take decisions for not only the betterment of the Jamaica Labour Party, but by extension, the people of Jamaica,” JLP Deputy Chairman Dr Andrew Wheatley said.

The address by the JLP leader, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, will be the only aspect open to the public as it will be broadcast live.

In September, the opposition People’s National Party also moved its annual conference to western Jamaica, hosting the public session in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, and the JLP leadership was questioned on whether their decision could be viewed as “copying”.

“Absolutely not,” said Chairman Robert Montague.

The party has “a responsibility to those who are still suffering and who are still recovering from the hurricane”, he said.

“We have a responsibility to provide mature leadership to the country, to say, rather than jollificating while some persons are struggling, let us identify with our brothers and sisters who are struggling,” Montague added.

The JLP leadership said its various Area Council meetings will continue in their usual fashion leading up to the delegates’ conference.

And days after voters in the United States delivered what analysts have described as a rejection of sitting Republican President Donald Trump with Democrats swept the House of Representatives and the Congress, the JLP said it was business as usual as far as the Jamaican Government was concerned.

“Their politics is their politics, our politics is our politics, right? And it is. So whether blue or red wave, we deal with the people. We have good relationships with the people and the government of the United States, and likewise here,” Wheatley said, adding that the relationship “remains the same”.

karen.madden@gleanerjm.com