PHILLIP Paulwell last Friday took over the reins of the People’s National Party (PNP) Region 3, and immediately promised that his administration would retake the majority of constituencies in the Corporate Area, plus the leadership of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC).

The PNP surrendered its parliamentary majority to the Opposition in the 15 Corporate Area constituencies that make up Region 3 in the last general elections. The party held a majority since 1989.

But the new chairman vowed that the tables would be turned in the upcoming general and municipal elections.

“We have to go back to our base. There are more PNP than Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supporters in Jamaica since the 1950s. When we (PNP) lose an election, it is because the PNP supporters don’t go out and vote. So we have to pull out the votes. We have to rekindle the hope for a better tomorrow,” he remarked.

In fact, Paulwell, who was elected unopposed as chairman, told hundreds of delegates and supporters who crammed into the grand Jamaica suite at the Pegasus Hotel last Friday night that he would justify the confidence placed in him.

The commerce industry and technology minister said his primary goal was to see to the “improvement in the lives of the people of the region in the first instance, and to ensure that the PNP is returned as the majority party in Kingston and St Andrew”.

During his wide-ranging presentation, he repeatedly used what appeared to be slogans for the upcoming general elections: “This is the people’s term” and “The people’s term is Portia’s term”.

Paulwell, who served as vice-chairman to outgoing chairman Dr Omar Davies, said too many people, including comrades, were living in impoverished conditions. “Every effort must be made to assist them,” he said. Outlining what he said was his second priority, he urged the PNP to engage its base of the party’s support and reach out to its roots.

“The party has always reached out to the middle class, the intelligencia, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals. We have to do that with more energy and all hands must be on board to do that,” he said.

He said further that “the regions must be reorganised for greater effectiveness in conducting political work”.

To begin the process, he announced that all 15 constituency secretaries would be trained in Instructional Technology (IT). The training, he said, would begin immediately.

He also presented a two-week itinerary of his road programme leading up to the annual conference. Paulwell said that between September 10 and 20, he would visit the constituencies of St Andrew-East and West Rural, Eastern, West Central and North Western.

The five constituencies are represented by the JLP, but Paulwell said his party was going for all the seats in the Corporate Area including Western Kingston, which is represented by Opposition Leader Bruce Golding.

The talk of general elections was again dangled before the large crowd, when party president Portia Simpson Miller addressed the large gathering and asked if they were ready.

To loud shouts of “yeah”, Simpson Miller, who will lead her first conference as party leader in the next three weeks, told the supporters to make sure that the party’s machinery at all levels was ready, “because nothing beats preparation”.

Simpson Miller, who said she was trying to ward off influenza, made brief reference to the polls currently being run by the Jamaica Observer.

According to her, the party is yet to go on the road and she has not started campaigning, but she noted that the Opposition Leader had emerged as a better “chatta”.

Some of the findings have been rejected by the JLP, while it said it was encouraged by other results.

But the prime minister urged the JLP to accept the results when it was in their favour, as well as when it was against them.

She promised supporters that they would be hearing from her soon.