OMAR Davies’ campaign organisation yesterday stood behind its decision to reinstate Alston Stewart to his key management role, saying that not only did he have much to offer, but that he had been cleared of impropriety at the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA).

“Both the Auditor General and the Contractor General found that neither Mr Stewart nor any of the board members were guilty of any impropriety and self-enrichment,” said Donald Buchanan, who, as campaign chairman, outside of the candidate himself, has overall charge of efforts to elect Davies as president of the ruling People’s National Party (PNP).

“We have moved full speed ahead to reactivate Alston Stewart as day-to-day manager of the Campaign for Prosperity,” Buchanan added.

Buchanan said that Stewart’s reinstatement was backed by the entire campaign committee, which includes investment banker Peter Bunting, as its chairman, and industrialist Chris Bicknel, as director of fund-raising.

Buchanan apart, the committee includes one other cabinet member, land and environment minister Dean Peart, who is deputy director.

The other key personalities among the group are D K Duncan, the former PNP general secretary, who is field director in charge of building Davies’ delegate base, and Duncan’s daughter, Imani Duncan, who is Stewart’s deputy, with responsibility for organisation and logistics.

Stewart was the executive chairman of the NSWMA, but he and other board members were forced to quit earlier this year in the face of a probe into alleged corruption at the agency.

In a damning report, the contractor general Derrick McKoy found that nearly $2-billion worth of contracts had been issued by the agency with “flagrant disregard” for government procurement procedures and policies.

Although he said that there was no evidence that board members and managers sought to enrich themselves, McKoy accused them of “concerted efforts to circumvent” procedures.

In a separate report, the auditor general complained of the failure of the NSWMA’s management to implement financial management and accountability procedures he had recommended in previous audits.

But apparently Davies’ campaign did not believe that these criticisms rose to a level as to disqualify Stewart from returning to his post as its manager for day-to-day operations and logistics – a decision taken after the PNP’s 67th annual conference in September.

“Comrade Stewart has the support of the full campaign team,” Buchanan told the Observer.

Davies, the finance minister, is challenging front-runners Portia Simpson Miller, the local government minister, and Dr Peter Phillips, the security minister, for the leadership of the PNP when the incumbent, Prime Minister P J Patterson, steps down. PNP vice-president Dr Karl Blythe has also declared himself in the race.

Patterson has said that he will retire before the next budget in April, and it is expected that he will call a vote between December and mid-January for the PNP’s 4,000 delegates to choose the new leader.

Yesterday, Buchanan was confident that his man would prevail, saying that the priority of the group was “to elect Omar Davies as party president and to ensure a fifth-term victory for the PNP”.

“We intend to build a Jamaica of prosperity for all, and a first world society,” he said. “We have over 700 prosperity ambassadors working to get those (necessary) 2000 delegates plus one.”

These delegates will include Davies’ own vote.