MONTEGO BAY, St James — FORMER Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Senator Dennis Meadows has blasted party leader Andrew Holness, arguing that he risks squandering political capital through bitterness, demonstrated by his efforts to alienate persons who supported Audley Shaw in the recent leadership challenge.

“The leader has acquired tremendous political capital through his convincing mandate. But my concern is, he risks squandering such enviable capital through bitterness, demonstrated by his efforts to alienate Audley Shaw’s supporters, instead of exploiting same to unite the JLP around a common agenda,” Meadows charged.

Meadows, who unsuccessfully contested the North Trelawny constituency in the last two general elections, was a key organiser in St James for Shaw, during the bitter campaign to unseat Holness as leader of the 70- year-old party.

On Sunday November 10, delegates of the JLP returned Holness as leader by a majority of 692 votes.

But since then there has been disquiet amongst many Labourites over Holness’s handling of his mandate.

At the naming of his new Shadow Cabinet, Holness, who has been in a restructuring mode since his victory, said he had offered the Finance, Planning, Growth and Economic Development portfolio to former spokesman Shaw, but he did not accept the position. Ed Bartlett, the former Opposition spokesman on Tourism and Travel Development Services, who supported Shaw in the leadership race, was offered the spokesman on foreign affairs and foreign trade, but he too rejected the assignment.

Then Holness was accused of using pre-signed resignation letters from Opposition senators to remove Christopher Tufton and Arthur Williams, both of whom supported Shaw, from his Senate team.

On Tuesday Meadows also accused Holness of not using his mandate to unite the party.

“His mandate has empowered him to pursue and implement his transformative agenda which must be reflected in his actions and utterances. No doubt the challenge left some wounds as some inelegant rhetoric was spewed from both sides. I implore him (Holness) to be magnanimous in victory and recognise the talents of Shaw’s supporters, even those who may cause him some unease in his stomach,” said Meadows.

He told the Jamaica Observer West that during the fractious campaign he lost “a good friend” in St James, arguing that there’s an urgent need to bridge the gap among senior Labourites which was evident prior to the leadership challenge, but became more pronounced during the campaign.

“The political fortunes for the JLP in St James is further at risk if it is not addressed immediately,” he stressed.

He described the sacking of Williams and Tufton as “a most egregious act for him (Holness) to use the undated letters, demanded of Senators prior to appointment, to dismiss Williams and Tufton — a promising face of the party — in such an unceremonious manner.

“This doesn’t augur well for the process of healing and reconciliation,” said Meadows, who is also the co-convenor for the civil lobby group, Citizens Action for Principle and Integrity (CAPI).

He said while he remains committed to the party and is willing to aid in the rebuilding process, the extent of his involvement and participation will be informed by how facilitating the party is to those whom Holness’s backers deemed traitors for exercising their God-given right.

“Loyalty and respect must be reciprocal, I am not blindly loyal to anyone or party, for that matter. For now, I am inclined to take a back seat and focus on my business, family and civil society, particularly as it relates to issues of governance,” he explained.

But former JLP candidate for Central Westmoreland Russel Hammond believes that the “party will settle down in a matter of time” and unite under Holness’s leadership.

“What is happening now has happened in both political parties in the past, and yet they eventually settled down,” said Hammond, who has retired from representational politics.

Meanwhile, local political observer Chris Hylton is defending the stance taken by Holness, arguing that “the way he is executing his mandate will bolster his political capital and integrity in moving the party forward.

“The fact that Holness extended the olive branch to both Shaw and Bartlett by offering them positions in his Shadow Cabinet, is an indication in my mind that the party leader really wants to unite the JLP,” he argued.

“Moreso the fact that no one else has been appointed in those positions is also an indication that the offers are still on the table, so if this is not an attempt in fostering unity, then what could it be?” Hylton asked.