THE ruling People’s National Party (PNP) will be spending nearly $10 million to stage its 68th annual conference, to be held over four days, beginning tomorrow.

Party chairman Robert Pickersgill, speaking to reporters yesterday at a press conference at the party’s Old Hope Road headquarters in Kingston, said rising costs, including that of security and rental of other facilities pushed the costs past last year’s figure.

“I believe it is a little more than last year. It (last year’s figure) escapes me at the moment, but this (conference) is in the vicinity of $10 million,” said Pickersgill.

The party’s general secretary Colin Campbell, who was also in attendance, said a third of the money was rental costs. “One-third of that figure will be for rental at Independence Park. That is where the voting for the vice-presidential position will be held,” Campbell said.

Pickersgill, in the meantime, said private guards have always provided and would be used for the bulk of security at the conference, in response to questions about the unrest in the constabulary because of a sick-out by rank-and-file cops.

“We entertain no serious concerns. We are making arrangement for that and contingency plans are in place. And in any case at our conferences and meetings we don’t deal with a plethora of state security. It doesn’t look good for a political party,” Pickersgill said.

Added Campbell: “Normally the state security work side by side with the private security that we employ. But the normal arrangements are in place. We have met with the (police) high command of the JCF, and so far we are satisfied.”

And on the question of party unity, Pickersgill said the organisation was as united as it could be.

“It (Monday’s meeting of MPs, caretakers and candidates) was really electrifying. It was a sight to behold. But if you come Thursday night through Sunday you can test the unity for yourself,” the party chairman said.

However, he said there may still be raw wounds coming from the divisive presidential election in February, which saw a bitter contest between supporters of Peter Phillips and Portia Simpson Miller, who came out victorious.

“.Coming through what we have come through and going through what we are going though (with respect to candidate selection), it’s not a walk in the park, and egos are bruised here and there, and it takes a little time to come around. We are still going through some of those, but going into our 68th annual conference we are as united as we can be.,” Pickersgill said.

The conference will be followed by a meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC), where secretariat officials, including the chairman, general secretary and deputy general secretaries will be elected. That meeting will be held Sunday, October 1, in Ocho Rios, St Ann.