ALLAN Rickards pulled back from a head-on race yesterday, leaving the way open for the finance minister, Dr Omar Davies, to be elected chairman of the critical Region Three of the ruling People’s National Party (PNP).

A week ago, Rickards, facing no competition, was a virtual shoo-in for the top post in the region, which groups 15 constituencies in Kingston and St Andrew. Now, he is settling for the role as one of Davies’ four deputies, based on a joint statement they issued last night.

“We, Omar Davies and Allan Rickards, fully respecting each other’s right to contest as part of the strong and vibrant democratic heritage of the party, have come with a unified position and pledged along with our campaign teams, to support each other for the post of regional chairman and first vice-chairman of Region Three, respectively,” their statement said.

This is Rickards’ second aborted run for the top post in the PNP’s Kingston/St Andrew organisation in three years.

In 2001 when Paul Burke, the now outgoing chairman, signalled that he was stepping down, Rickards, who had been Burke’s campaign manager six years earlier, declared his intention to run, setting up a contest between himself and then Central Kingston MP, Ronnie Thwaites. Burke changed his mind and both men withdrew their candidacy.

Burke, who was on the PNP’s radical left-wing when the party espoused socialism in the 1970s, has now decided to go and Rickards, a public relations consultant, was expected to have been elected unopposed at the region’s annual conference last Sunday.

But at the last minute, Davies, who represents South St Andrew in Parliament, threw his hat in the ring.

Delegates voted to postpone the election to accommodate Davies’ candidacy. But the decision angered more than a handful, who claimed that the party hierarchy was foisting the finance minister on the Region Three leadership.

According to last night’s statement, Davies and Rickards have agreed not to speak publicly on the matter until the Region Three conference resumes on Sunday, but Burke claimed that much of the speculation surrounding the events were “totally unfounded and … most unfortunate”.

It was not only Burke who attempted to downplay suggestion of a row in the PNP over the issue and suggestion that part of Davies’ intention is to position himself for a possible run for the leadership of the party when Prime Minister P J Patterson steps down — expected within two years.

Burchell Whiteman, the information minister and a senior party spokesman, said that the arrangement between Davies and Rickards was reached “amicably”.

“One of the critical points to consider is that the region operates as a team,” Whiteman said. “Yes, the leader will be the man out front, but Omar as chairman and Allan as one of the vice-chairmen will be a strong force.”

In their own statement, Davies and Rickards claimed to have agreed “on a principled approach aimed at obtaining the best leadership team”.

“Whilst both recognising the pivotal role of the position of regional chairman, we also recognise that equally as important is the composition and role of the leadership team of the region,” they said. “We both assert that it is only through collective efforts that the region will meet with some of the urgent challenges.”

Among the issues to be faced by Davies and his team is declining PNP support in Kingston and St Andrew, particularly among its middle class base.

In the 1997 general election, for instance, the party won 10 of the 15 seats in the region, but lost three of those last October.

Similarly, in the 1998 local government elections it won 27 of the 40 seats in the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC). In June’s election it managed 18 seats.