Recently Member of Parliament (MP) for St Catherine North Western Damion Crawford confirmed one of the biggest open secrets in local political circles. Speaking during the ceremonial opening of Parliament, Crawford said: “I’ve never been coy about my hope to one day be the chief decision maker. This is not a birthday party for friendship; it’s a party about ideological congruence.”

He went on to say: “The new rules of the party are that there is no election until two years. And the last one was 2025, and so the next one is 2027. It would be foolish of anyone to create any destabilisation for two years.” (Jamaica Observer, February 12, 2026)

I am not surprised at Crawford’s most recent public admission that he wants the top job in Norman Manley’s party. It is in perfect sync with forecasts I made here soon after our most recent general election. In my September 7, 2025 The Agenda piece, I said among other things: “Information in the public domain indicates that Phillip Paulwell is desirous of becoming PNP president and leader of the Opposition. It is not a secret that Damion Crawford and Dr Dayton Campbell want the top job. Some sources say Mikael Phillips wants to replace Golding for, among other things, to fulfil the failed ambitions of his father, Dr Peter Phillips, who holds the unenviable record of being the first president of the PNP and leader of one of the two major political parties not to become prime minister of Jamaica. Some say Lisa Hanna is waiting in the wings to make a grand return and become the second woman to lead the PNP. And some whisper loudly that Peter Bunting will fight tooth and nail to lead the PNP.”

In my October 19, 2025 column I said this and more: “There would be a leadership challenge in the PNP in 2026/7, I believe. Those who have said they wish to lead the PNP and/or those who hanker quietly after the top job in Norman Manley’s party will realise that their political fortune and ambitions are being choked to death by a president who will be 65 when the next general election is due. Holness will be 58. Politics today is a younger man’s game. Look around the world today, but for a few exceptions, younger and younger national leaders are being voted into office.”

Seems I am right on the money. Yes, name recognition but…

Damion Crawford is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable faces in local politics today. I believe only Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Lisa Hanna, former MP for St Ann South Eastern, rank ahead of him on the name recognition totem pole.

Opposition MP Damion Crawford being sworn in at Gordon House. (Naphtali Junior)

In Western liberal democracies especially, name recognition is necessary but not sufficient to get a candidate across the finish line first. Many experts in politics say that name recognition is invariably a boost. At the same time, some caution that it can often be a double-edged sword.

Let me illustrate why this apparent contradiction actually makes a lot of sense. The accompanying political product of name recognition is leadership temperament — meaning that the more one becomes known in the political arena, the more visible one’s strengths and weaknesses become simultaneously evident to the public.

Crawford possesses several talents. His assets have propelled him into the local political stratosphere. Yet, at the same time, Crawford’s strong points are conspicuously his Achilles’ heels also. Yes, Crawford has the gift of the gab. That blessing is also his kryptonite.

I — and many other right-thinking Jamaicans — have stopped counting the number of times he has made a fool of himself on the political hustings. Without skilful management, the gift of the gab is like a wild animal that cannot be trusted. Crawford’s misuse — and some might even say abuse — of his ability to speak with eloquence and fluency has caused a great deal of mistrust, even within the PNP itself.

Recall, for example, that this is what retired Northern Trelawny MP Dr Patrick Harris said about Crawford in The Gleaner of November 18, 2015: “A person like a Damion Crawford is disrespectful of the political process, disrespect[ful] to Comrades in general, and, at worst, he is either stupid or fool-fool, and he should be put in the Ity and Fancy Cat Show, where you don’t have anybody asking about democracy and such things to be in that.”

Political memory in Jamaica is longer than many assume. Crawford’s real and perceived weaknesses are very important factors that the PNP delegates/members will, doubtless, take into serious consideration when they cast their votes for the next chief at 89 Old Hope Road.

The last two chiefs failed to take home the biggest prize — that is, the keys to Jamaica House. Recall that Max Weber, the celebrated German sociologist, famously said: “Parties exist in a house of power,” meaning political parties exist to win and retain State power. I seriously doubt that there are still many PNP members and/ or financial backers who are happy that the PNP has been defeated in the last three general and the last two local government contests.

The PNP will have a very difficult job picking a champion horse. Crawford evidently sees himself as a genuine political thoroughbred. He often taunts his competition with his very strong internal party and national popularity. Whenever he ascends to cloud nine politically — and this happens often — he must pinch himself with the reality that name recognition alone does not necessarily translate into internal party or national trust. In politics, some charismatic politicians like Crawford often dominate headlines but then fail to convert name recognition into votes and, consequently, majority approval.

LEADERSHIP TEMPERAMENT

On the matter of approval, Crawford needs to understand that public confirmation of his plan to sit atop the once-lofty perch at 89 Old Hope Road does not nullify internal party misgivings and very serious national concerns about his leadership temperament.

His tenure as MP for St Andrew East Rural was marred by widespread complaints of poor and/or incompetent representation. Some constituents accused him of spending excessive time admiring his reflection in the political mirror and being overly enamoured with the sound of his own voice, even as the pressing needs of many residents went largely unaddressed. His abrupt departure from the constituency created a lasting deficit in public trust that has haunted him ever since.

Recall Crawford’s ‘take one for the team’ venture into the April 4, 2019 Portland Eastern by-election. There, among other things, he — then the PNP’s most popular figure — unleashed divisive, prejudicial, and sexist attacks on the JLP candidate Ann-Marie Vaz. He faced national reprimand as a result. A majority rejected him, and the PNP lost its third-safest seat to a then-political newcomer.

Doubtless some will cry out, “Higgins, why dredge up these matters now?”

Yet the public record of those seeking public office remains crucially important — one of the clearest measures by which the people can assess leadership temperament and suitability for, especially, the highest-elected offices in our land. Incidentally, that public record also includes the famous (or infamous) revelatory recording that Crawford has never disavowed.

Crawford excels on the political stump. He’s good, extremely good, at firing off what Americans term political zingers or memorable one-liners. That’s a major asset; necessary, but far from sufficient. Understand that governing a nation differs fundamentally from campaign stumping.

Indeed, many charismatic figures like him struggle to make that essential transition. As I see it, Crawford has yet to prove to the country that he can effectively surmount this critical political ceiling.

WRONG MOVE!

Consider this: “PNP Member of Parliament Damion Crawford says he was not pressured into leaving the Public Administration and Appropriation Committee (PAAC). Crawford said: “I was not in agreement with the way that the committee was being organised, and I thought that it would have led to high levels of inefficiency if that disagreement continued.”

Crawford continued to say that he felt some of the ways he had been treated were not up to his own standards sharing a euphemism urging ‘lower-income’, ‘grass roots’ people not to allow themselves to be trampled on in the face of ambition.

Admitting that he and fellow PNP MP Peter Bunting did not see eye to eye on the committee, he clarified that there was no dispute between them: “Myself and Comrade Bunting worked very well in the Senate at a different level. So it’s just that this particular committee felt that there was a level of inefficiency because we were at odds of how we thought it should have been managed. But there’s no dispute at all,” said Crawford.” (Jamaica Observer, February 12, 2026)

As I see it, Crawford’s exit was a classic own goal. I share his view that his role was being crowded out on the PAAC. And I agree the committee’s work needs better organisation for greater efficiency. This was a prime chance for him to stay the course, demonstrate sterner stuff, and show resilience. Instead, Crawford “tek bush” — as we say locally — gingerly jumping ship. That move was unwise on multiple fronts. Auditioning for governing mode requires compromises, administrative literacy, procedural patience, and a steadfast demonstration of political intelligence.

Crawford’s inclusion on the PAAC was a big opportunity for him to prove, especially to sceptics, that he is a disciplined, strategic, and visionary leader. Those are the three most important qualities which I said here some months ago that the next president of the PNP needs to have in considerable quantities if the party is to have a bona fide chance of winning the next general election. Picking up one’s marbles and running does not foretell that one is fit to manage particularly intricate local matters and/or help Jamaica surmount international crises. Harbinger!

OTHER LIKELY CONTENDERS

I think Phillip Paulwell, spokesperson on energy, will definitely throw his hat into the ring when the PNP presidency becomes vacant. I think he will lose. Why? Paulwell has stayed behind the political starting gates for too long. He has consistently given off the vibe of a jockey and horse prepared for a derby in the 1990s but not let out of the gates until the first quarter of the 2000s. Paulwell’s “youthful exuberance” days are over. As I see it, he is no longer a political shining star; he is a fallen one.

Mikael Phillips, spokesperson on transport, will be a non-starter in a leadership race. As I see it, he does not have the discipline, strategic mind, and/or vision which the PNP needs if it is to have a real chance of wresting the keys to Jamaica House. He often shows — in Parliament and on the political stump — that he lacks the depth required to lead the PNP. While Phillips comes from pedigreed political breeding, he has yet to demonstrate the speed of a genuine thoroughbred. I think he can best serve his stable by doing much more concentrated work on the increasingly slippery exercise tracks.

Whether he chooses to be ‘Mr Nice Guy’ or not, Peter Bunting, as spokesperson on productivity, efficiency and competitiveness, is a spent political force insofar as leading Norman Manley’s party is concerned, as I see it. I get the impression that some in the PNP, and many in the wider public, have a visceral dislike for Bunting. I think it is too late now for him and his handlers to rescue his image. Of course, in politics one can never say never, because “events determine elections”, as Harold Macmillan, the British Conservative politician who was prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963 said in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) decades ago.

General Secretary of the PNP Dr Dayton Campbell; Julian Robinson, spokesperson on finance; and health spokesperson Dr Alfred Dawes are dark horses. If Lisa Hanna returns to what she once described as “blood sport”, she will be a formidable contestant. If she contests, there will likely be a photo finish between her and Crawford, I forecast.

Garfield Higgins is an educator and journalist. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or higgins160@yahoo.com.

Dr Alfred Dawes (Garfield Robinson)

Damian Crawford (Naphtali Junior)

Lisa Hanna (File)

Phillip Paulwell (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

Peter Bunting

Dr Dayton Campbell

Julian Robinson (Photo: Garfield Robinson)