Any well-thinking Jamaican will be deeply concerned with what is happening in the People’s National Party (PNP). Fresh from its leadership battle from which Mark Golding was elected president, the party now finds itself engulfed in gargantuan problems which threaten its very existence or, at any rate, its relevance to the Jamaican political landscape.

There are various characters that are essential to the movie script that is playing out in the present debacle. There is the honcho of the party. The contest between himself and Lisa Hanna was not as contentious as some expected it to be; it was civil with a high level of decency between the two candidates. But now that the mantle of leadership has fallen on his shoulders, Golding finds himself in the midst of lingering problems of disunity that have been tearing at the fabric of the party. There are oversized egos that need to be navigated. The overwhelming problem that faces the leader is that of bringing the disparate groups that have emerged in the party together so he can forge some kind of consensus that can place the party on a sure footing of healing and anchoring in its core principles. This is not an easy task — as he has been finding out.

Is he really the man for the job? Time will tell, but I have some optimism that he will be able to make some headway if he remains firm and does not become naïve in the face of the personalities he has to deal with.

Then there is Peter Bunting, defeated Member of Parliament candidate for Manchester Central. There is no doubt that he is still quietly perturbed at the beating he received from the assumed political neophyte, Rhoda May Crawford. I say assumed for respect is due to her for how she ran her campaign as a political veteran, which paid off handsomely for her.

Notwithstanding this defeat, it must be said that Bunting cannot be written off as a failed politician. He still has a significant contribution to make to Jamaican politics and I can see him bouncing back with some vigour at a later date. But this is a time for introspection as he takes account of where he is in his own personal life and that of the party which I know he loves.

Golding, his friend and business colleague, has tried to resurrect him by wanting him in the Senate as the Leader of Government Business, but there is a problem. This brings us to another actor in the unfolding drama of PNP politics: Norman Horne. He was nominated to the Senate by former party leader Peter Phillips, but he declined to be sworn in citing that he wanted the new president to have a free hand in choosing his slate of candidates for the Upper House. But it has now emerged that he did not rescind his appointment, so Bunting cannot move forward. It has also been further revealed that the party owes him money and this seems to have muddied the waters as to whether he will be willing to step aside or continue the battle. There is also the further suggestion that Horne is a United States citizen, which, by the Jamaican Constitution, would forbid him from sitting in the Jamaican Parliament.

So, there are matters to be resolved between Horne and the leadership of the PNP. What is clear is that this cannot be allowed to drag on. The Parliament must be properly constituted, especially in the midst of a raging pandemic. Horne should acknowledge if he is an American citizen. This would settle the matter immediately. If he wants to sit in the Senate he should indicate to the nation whether he wants to give up his US citizenship, and thus hold on to his appointment by the governor general to so sit in the House. Time is of the essence here.

In the meantime, the movie grinds on with Damion Crawford, a major actor in the script. In a voice note leaked to the public he is heard venting his disgust at operatives in the party while embellishing his credentials as perhaps the most popular person in the party. Under normal circumstances, Crawford’s apparent obsession with self would not be a subject to arrest one’s attention, but he is not an ordinary person in the PNP. As he obviously likes to boast, he received the largest number of votes as a vice-president of the party, which made him think that he could one day be the leader, and thus presumptive prime minister of Jamaica. Furthermore, he is a Member of the people’s Parliament, sitting as a member of the Senate for his party. Significantly, he has been named by his party leader as the spokesman on culture and entertainment, which may foreshadow a future Cabinet post. Thus, what he says in public should not be brushed aside.

I must confess that over the years of listening to Crawford I have not formed a holistic impression of his politics. He comes across as one who thinks of himself more highly than he ought. In the assessment of my colleague, Garfield Higgins, he is a man who seems to be obsessed with credentials. If he is to have a future in the party, and the country’s political life, I would urge him to cool it. He is a man screaming for relevance, but he does not have to scream so loudly.

I agree that a private conversation between himself and another party should not have been leaked, but the person who leaked it must have considered it to be of such import for the public to know of it. Now we know. Crawford must now move to deal with the fallout from this sad episode in his political career. As a vice-president, he should always be thinking of ways in which he can heal the wounds in the party and bring people together, instead of further dividing them. With the number of times he has put his political foot in his mouth, he must have a gargantuan dental bill.

The question must be asked: Lisa, where art thou? Despite what others may say about her former Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) credentials, she rose up to become a serious contender for leadership of the PNP. On the face of it, that is a tremendous feat which must not be overlooked. She and must not allow herself to be relegated to a position of irrelevance, especially by those who are more sound than fury.

The PNP is in a difficult place. It is in deep pain and despair. But the country needs a strong and robust Opposition party. Those who believe in the long-term survival of the party must do everything in their power to ensure its survival and that it bounces back more strongly than before.

It would be foolish to write the political obituary of the PNP. But its leadership and rank and file members must arrest the putrefaction that has set in.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the book WEEP: Why President Donald J. Trump Does Not Deserve A Second Term . Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.