Dr Peter Phillips had leadership ambitions for over a decade. Now that he has been People’s National Party (PNP) president for over three months, future leaders, like Peter Bunting and Phillip Paulwell, are overlooking him by fighting a proxy war in St Andrew South Western.

These two give the public a perception that Peter Phillips can’t win the next general election, therefore they are making their move now.

Many believe that if Angela Brown Burke can’t win St Andrew South Western that’s the end of Phillip Paulwell’s leadership ambitions.

Also, many feel that if Audrey Smith Facey wins, Peter Bunting automatically becomes the most powerful man in the PNP. He already has the majority of the delegates in delegate-rich constituencies of St Ann South Eastern and St Andrew Southern. Note, St Andrew South Western alone has 1,900 delegates.

Many disgruntled ‘renewal’ Comrades are disappointed with Peter Phillips’s handling of this internal fight, for example, using statements against individuals talking about the way Angela Brown Burke was brought into the race. As such, many feel he’s in support of Brown Burke.

We need to pay attention to the ripple effect of each candidate’s chance of winning as it will say much for the future.

No succession plan

It is sad how this situation is playing out in the public.

Portia Simpson Miller was Member of Parliament for over four decades, therefore, many feel that she should have had a proper succession plan.

Smith Facey, in many eyes, was the de facto Member of Parliament in Portia Simpson Miller’s absence due to her national outreach. Smith Facey told Nationwide 90 FM that she had seen Portia Simpson Miller days before she had endorsed Brown Burke, and she greeted her.

Then Simpson Miller basically told the Jamaica Observer in a story headlined ‘Portia tells why’ that Smith Facey was rude and that she didn’t love the people like she did. Maybe if Simpson Miller had told Smith Facey to her face she would’ve withdrawn her candidacy out of respect for the former party president and Member of Parliament.

One thing’s for sure, if Angela Brown Burke loses, or even if Audrey Smith Facey does well while losing, the message that has been sent to the nation is that Portia Simpson Miller’s leadership plan in her constituency was poor.

St Andrew South Western was supposedly the capital of Portia Simpson Miller’s loyalists. Imagine if they turn their backs on “the queen” or only barely pull Brown Burke over the line.

teddylee.gray@gmail.com