Challengers to Premier David Burt and his deputy, Walter Roban are not being afforded the same access to the lists of the approximately 150 voting delegates, as are the incumbents, creating an unbalanced playing field.
Landing on the wrong side of matters are former Finance Minister Curtis Dickinson and Renee Ming, the one-time Minister of National Security, who have each been frustratingly stifled in their attempts to gain copies.
While, as Government, the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) has promoted the virtues of ‘best practice’ in terms of operational policy, implementation and execution, the methodology appears absent from certain critical areas of the current leadership campaign, including the appropriation of the delegates listings, thus bringing ethics and/or lack thereof contained within strongly into question.
To date TNN understands that neither an old nor new list has been delivered to at either Mr. Dickinson or Ms. Ming, despite at least four written applications being delivered to party administrators.
Meanwhile, it is known that Mr Burt has been able to identify and so directly lobby new and existing delegates, leaving the Dickinson/Ming team to cast a broader net among all believed members, with hope of snaring new and old alike.
Speaking with a source intimate with the struggles being endured by the challengers TNN asked if Mr Burt might be operating with a deck stacked in his favour.
“The Premier has had access to the list since Cup Match,” responded the source. “He’s been able to use the existing list and it’s known that he’s called some of the new delegates, so it’s obvious he has the new list.
“Curtis and Renee don’t have a list yet. Not a current list, not an old list, nothing that exists.
“So, what they’re doing is inviting everybody all members to their events staged for each constituency.”
Attempts to obtain responses from the party’s administrators, the Premier and Minister Roban over the brewing controversy have thus far been unsuccessful.
TNN has an agreement to present a live questions and answer segment with the Team Dickinson/Ming early next week, following the proposed leaders’ debate this coming Saturday, October 8.
A debate between the Ms Ming and Mr Roban is slated to take place on October 12, ahead of the vote on October 20, during the course of the three-day Annual Conference at St Paul AME Church’s Centennial Hall in Hamilton.
An open invite to Mr Burt and Mr Roban for a Q&A with TNN remains.
Any content which is considered unsuitable, unlawful, or offensive, includes personal details, advertises or promotes products, services or websites, or repeats previous comments will be removed.
User comments posted on this website are solely the views and opinions of the comment writer and are not a representation of or reflection of the opinions of TNN or its staff.
TNN reserves the right to remove, edit or censor any comments.
TNN accepts no liability and will not be held accountable for the comments made by users.