Attorney Harold Brady was attempting, for a second straight night, to coax both sides in the JLP’s accession battle to a compromise after the High Court last week stayed the weekend vote and effectively barred the party from holding its annual conference.

While Brady attempts to steer the contenders’ lieutenants towards common ground, Pearnel Charles and Bruce Golding, the aspirants for the party’s leadership, are preparing for a mid-December court argument over the legitimacy of the delegates’ list to be used in the election – the earliest date that Justice Donald McIntosh could accommodate in his diary for the hearing.

Charles has claimed that the delegates’ list is flawed.

In the meantime, JLP out-going leader, Edward Seaga, showing exasperation with the Golding campaign over the actions of its lawyers in court yesterday, suggested that he might walk away from his 11th-hour involvement in the peace process.

But Golding campaign sources were adamant that Seaga was over-stating his efforts and remained sceptical that he could be even-handed as a peacemaker.

“Mr Golding made as much clear at the Standing Committee meeting on Monday night when the issue came up at appointing an honest-broker to bring both sides together,” a JLP source said last night.

“Mr Seaga’s name came up and Mr Golding was adamant that he could not be satisfied that Mr Seaga would be counted on to act in his best interest.

“Mr Harold Brady was named as the rapporteur as both sides attempted to work through their differences and come to a common position on the delegates’ list.”

It was on the basis of the Brady initiative, JLP sources said, that both sides were prepared to ask Justice McIntosh for a 10-day adjournment of the proceedings yesterday.

But when the judge held that he could not hear the case before December 6, JLP lawyers objected and suggested immediate arguments, which Justice McIntosh rejected.

It was a response that apparently angered Seaga, who yesterday held himself out as the architect of the Tuesday night compromise.

“(With) what has now transpired I am not even sure.” Seaga said as he emerged from Justice McIntosh’s Chamber hearing yesterday.

“I am thinking about my position as first defendant – whether I would wish to continue to have my name being so involved, or to have it withdrawn altogether from this whole matter.”

Charles has named Seaga, in his position of Jamaica Labour Party leader, Golding in his role as chairman and Karl Samuda, the general-secretary, as the respondents when he went to court a week ago for the injunction seeking to stay the election that was to have taken place on November 6.

Said Seaga in post-hearing remarks: “Up to eight o’clock last night I was chairing a meeting which was put together by the Standing Committee which asked me to take the responsibility of being chairman.

The meeting was to seek agreement, on both sides, that they approach the court this morning (Wednesday) to seek an adjournment in order to allow both sides to try to work out the problem and find a solution.

“At the end of the meeting, that was the agreement of everyone present. The only participant not present was Mr Golding.

This morning I was therefore not prepared to come to court because it was just. an appearance by the lawyers to seek the adjournment .I was told this morning that the agreement reached by the meeting to seek an adjournment to allow the parties to come together no longer stands.”

But pro-Golding sources were adamant that Seaga was now over-stating any attempt by him to be a peacemaker and insisted that he was never asked to chair the sessions, although he might have been involved.

“Mr Seaga was not the chairman and he was never asked to be the chairman,” said a party source. “It was Mr Brady who was asked to act as rapporteur.”

Golding is considered to be the overwhelming favourite for the election, but Charles’ campaign claimed that up to 2,000 names on the list of 4,600 delegates had been removed and replaced with Golding supporters. It also included the names of persons not properly registered as party workers in contravention of the JLP’s constitution.

t is these issues that Justice McIntosh will have to unravel, and the Golding side was apparently hoping that it could happen quickly, apparently with the hope that there would be enough time for the JLP to hold its conference and election before yearend.

The intention was to get a 10-day adjournment from the judge, during which Brady would be allowed to continue efforts. The parties would then return to report a settlement.

However, Justice McIntosh said the earliest time he could deal with the matter was December, which apparently was not suitable for Charles’ lawyers, led by Abe Dabdoub, who argued that the issue would need two clear days of deliberations.

“We were willing to support an adjournment for 10 days, but we didn’t want an adjournment that went well into December,” Golding said last night. “When the Court said it couldn’t accommodate that, we objected.”

Golding further offended the Charles campaign when he instructed his lawyers to ask for costs based on the fact that Charles’ campaign had requested an adjournment.

Seaga complained after the hearing: “The matter is in the courts now; it’s not a matter of mediation anymore. I was hoping that it could have been mediated by not having to go to court. That is not what transpired this morning, to my understanding. That doesn’t require me anymore.”

Samuda was, however, more optimistic.

“I think we can arrive at a solution,” he said.

Attempting to explain Seaga’s attitude, he said: “I think the leader is somewhat disappointed because he feels that there is stridency on the part of some persons.

But on the other hand, I think it is important for us and for the country not to allow short-term developments to derail us from out main objective, and that is to unite the party and build a strong Opposition.”