‘Didn’t these people see these issues way before now?’
BELOW are edited views of Jamaica Observer online readers on statements made by People’s National Party supporters at a reasoning session at Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, on Sunday. The Comrades accused the party of failing the Jamaican people and deviating from its core values.
Devon Robins
Devon Robins
This sounds like the party has become a political plantocracy… a few own the PNP and there is the view that the PNP owns Jamaica… what a purruh!
nervousinvestor
nervousinvestor
@Devon Robins: Crony Capitalists. Not Capitalists in the true sense.
john purru
john purru
Where were these charges now being levelled against the PNP hiding while it was in power? Did the party suddenly become om that no one should take seriously nor believe anything it says hereafter. Andrew and his stable should capitalise on this infighting to tighten their own grip on power, regardles s of being a one-seat [majority] government!
Bobo
Bobo
@john purru: Didn’t these people see these issues way before now? Did they see these issues but still supported the party? If so, why? Why support a party that isn’t purporting a vision that you agree with?
ant70
ant70
This world is a different reality from the sixties and the seventies, up to the eighties, where the world was aligned by political ideology. The PNP should not lock itself to a political reality of the past. It should not be a capitalist, or a socialist-driven organisation, it must be a pragmatic party in the 21st century. It must be the party without any apologies, dedicated to building the infrastructure of Jamaica.
Dinkimini
Dinkimini
The thing is, if the PNP had won the election, they would not be speaking the truth. They would still be saying it is PNP country. Nonetheless, I am happy to see that they are doing something to recollect themselves and start seeing that this is Jamaica. Not PNP Country.
Dully
Dully
PNP tried to be a better capitalist Government than the Jamaica Labour Party but made a mess of it and ended up making the capitalists even wealthier and poor people poorer because they did not understand capitalism and the capitalists realised and took advantage of that. They ended up being experts at tax-and-borrow economics as socialism is long dead, now buried. So, what is the ideology of the PNP now?
Dinkimini
Dinkimini
They won the internal gossip vote, and those who believed the most gossip are the ones who own the party. The funny thing, they are the ones who should know better.
Aubin
Aubin
All I am seeing here is a bunch of freeness mentality whiners. Pull your boot strap up and get to work.
Jennifer
Jennifer
Well, I hope they still keep PATH because the good book said the poor will always be among us, and when a country can take care of its poor it shows that it is a thriving country. It’s always good to look into ourself to see where we went wrong so we can move forward and make a change.
Mars
Mars
…Now for serious change to happen within the PNP, all the current career MPs must be booted, their leader Portia, Peter Phillips, Pickersgill, Omar Davies, Phillip Paulwell, Lisa Hanna, Anthony Hylton, Peter Bunting, Fenton Ferguson and so on. Change can’t take place with people who are part of an old system and with people who have denied there has been a serious problem with their party’s policies.
Sondon
Sondon
When are these people going to come to the realisation the socialism is dead? What is now happening is nothing more than a make- believe being perpetrated on the people. As DK once said, both parties are essentially the same. He who has eyes to see and ears to hear should use them properly.
Demusone
Demusone
“My kids will look at me and say ‘How have you benefited from being a PNP all your life’?” he said. This is the problem with the party. It is not about how you benefited from your party! The question should be “Dad, how are we benefitting from the party”. And the obvious answer based on your statement will be “Kids, I don’t care about you, it’s all about me and my party… If I benefit you will be a member so you can benefit too… and my grandkids will follow this model.
JohnnyP
JohnnyP
Good. About time the PNP was demolished and built again from scratch. They can also start by getting rid of their current president.
NejeeperKNG
NejeeperKNG
They are finally admitting that they have lost their way. However, they wanted a second term to lead Jamaica… where? This is a party that is still trying to figure out the meaning of capitalism, free trade, and economic growth. The Jamaican people should be proud of themselves for reclaiming their country from this slowly but surely sinking ship.
Powerman392
Powerman392
The PNP party just need to get back to its core values, the older heads over 65 years old need to resign or take a back seat and let the younger generation rebuild the party so that we can have a vibrant PNP again that looks out for the poor Jamaican people.
John Brown
John Brown
The PNP doesn’t even know what it is. Socialism is dead, yet the party supporters are still stuck in the Manley era and seem to have not noticed that life has moved on. This is why we need PNP in opposition for the next 10 years, because we just cannot allow a party to try to be what it is not at our expense.
Aloysius Flyte
Aloysius Flyte
What they want is a continuation of the ancient policy of borrowing and handouts which has royally screwed this country and the primary reason for the mess we are now in. Jamaica cannot afford socialism.
GEOFF
GEOFF
LOL! So, I guess the PNP not giving away enough.
Time fi Prosperity
Time fi Prosperity
The first thing the PNP needs to recognise is that socialism as a political ethos is no longer a viable argument. They need to have hard discussions about this and come up with a variation on the socialist argument. All that has been highlighted in this meeting are factors which we have been telling the PNP for years, but in their arrogance they called us the articulate minority and ignored us. It is good that now they are forced to take a step back and really assess their future. We need two viable parties in Jamaica so I do not want them to disappear; but time come fi change.
Oh_Lord
Oh_Lord
…Be a party for all Jamaicans, economic prudence and social reform, go back to the basics tuned to the realities on the new millennium.
Lindel McCormack
Lindel McCormack
The meeting was poorly attended. This was a message in itself being sent to the PNP. Seemingly the rebuilding process is going to be a long uphill task. Not a good time to be a Comrade at all.
Kweli Simba
Kweli Simba
The idea of Democratic Socialism had its day in Jamaica. The PNP should take a good look at the countries around Jamaica that espoused socialism and the dismal failures thereof.
Crucial
Crucial
Happy the people spoke. Now will the egos within the party allow any change?