It’s not unusual for political parties to turn on themselves when they are in Opposition.

The infighting tends to be more intense when the parties suffer consecutive electoral defeats — as was seen with the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) over the 18 years it spent trying to get into office — or, as is the current case with the People’s National Party (PNP), when the loss at the polls is by a very narrow margin.

What has obviously exacerbated the situation in the PNP today is the fact that the party never expected to lose the February 25, 2016 General Election, as well as the fact that it lost by only one seat. That, indeed, was a very difficult pill to swallow.

So, now blame is being thrown all around, and some people in the party are pressuring the PNP president for the past decade, Mrs Portia Simpson Miller, to step down.

In response, Mrs Simpson Miller last week announced that she would be offering herself for re-election as president at the party’s annual conference in September this year.

At the same time, Mr Peter Bunting, a former general secretary, is champing at the bit to become leader and appears all set to mount a challenge in September.

There are, of course, others with presidential ambitions but who are hesitant about coming forward because they don’t wish to be seen as trying to push Mrs Simpson Miller out.

The upshot is that the party is now splintered and will require a lot of work to mend.

That task, though, will be difficult if word from inside the party is true that members who dare to express views opposite to those held by the leadership are either branded as disloyal or are verbally abused.

That is not an encouraging scenario for a political party that prides itself on upholding the ideal of democracy.

Political parties can only benefit from discussion spawned by diverse opinions. As such, political leaders should encourage vigorous debate and embrace new ideas that are practical and can redound to the benefit of the country.

Failing to do so will render the movement redundant and condemn it to a protracted internal battle that will reduce its effectiveness as a counter to the Government.

If that happens, it is Jamaica that would lose.

We accept that leadership contests can be bruising, and in most instances, very brutal. Statements made in the heat of battle are difficult to forget, and actions are considered unforgivable.

One recent example that comes to mind is the allegation by Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump in the United States primaries that the father of Ted Cruz, one of is opponents, participated in the assassination of President John F Kennedy. It is believed that’s the reason Cruz has not endorsed Trump.

But the PNP as an organisation is larger than the individuals, and political maturity demands that people accept the fact that their duty to the country is greater than to their political party.

It wasn’t so long ago that the JLP was going through similar turmoil. Yet it was able to unite and present the country with plans and policies that convinced enough voters to give the party the privilege of serving the Jamaican people.

There’s a lesson in that for the PNP.