Dear Editor,

The recent comments posted on Facebook by long-time PNP Comrade Delano Franklyn regarding the approval of membership for Joan Gordon-Webley by the executive of the People’s National Party (PNP) is most unfortunate and disappointing.

I am a Comrade. I am a Michael Manley ‘supporter’ and Franklyn certainly doesn’t speak for me and several other Comrades that I have been in contact with on this matter. I, too, was not always very fond of Gordon-Webley, and this is because of the stridency with which she practises her politics. She is a fierce opponent.

One thing is certain, and it is known to long-serving members of the PNP, including Franklyn, Joan Gordon-Webley had absolutely nothing to do with the death of Comrade Roy McGann in 1980. Personally, I find it offensive and insulting, as a member of the PNP, that Cde Franklyn, as a justification for his obvious personal dislike for this lady, would seek to tarnish her character and reputation in this way.

Let me ask this of Cde Delano Franklyn, were you ever a member of the Workers Party of Jamaica (WPJ) before joining the PNP? Should your nephew, Aundre Franklyn, the current deputy chairman and former general secretary of the Jamaica Labour Party, apply to the PNP for membership, would you resist his application? Were you always a supporter of our Comrade Party Leader Portia Simpson Miller?

Speaking frankly, I am rather taken aback that Cde Franklyn, an attorney-at-law, who should be very familiar with the rules of evidence and the burden of proof, would have such a post on his social media page and arrogantly stating that he’s standing by it. It is an undisputed fact that Cde McGann was killed by the bullet of a policeman’s firearm. This is a fact, isn’t it Cde Franklyn? Beyond that, a thorough investigation was carried out in this matter. Gordon-Webley was never implicated. For you to suggest otherwise is scandalous!

In closing, there is no question that Comrade Gordon-Webley, as she now is, will be of great political value to the party overall, and particularly in a seat such as St Andrew East Rural, where she remains extremely popular. Her popularity in the constituency of St Andrew East is also known, as well as in other marginal seats in Region 3. She is from Hanover and will also be helpful in that parish. Personally, if I had a choice, I would return her to the National Solid Waste Management Authority, where she excelled as the best CEO of that agency to date.

Where is Comrade Delano Franklyn’s political base? And, exactly where can he be sent to secure votes for the People’s National Party? Comrade Joan Gordon-Webley is an asset to the PNP. I wholeheartedly welcome her and look forward to her service to our party and country. Oh, I rest my case.

D Williams

williamscde1@gmail.com