Spencer wants Golding to connect with PNP base

Kern Spencer, chairman of the People’s National Party (PNP) Region Five, says he expects party President Mark Golding to ignite the party’s base from the platform at this weekend’s 84th annual conference in Kingston.

The PNP will be hosting its annual conference from September 16 to 18. The private sessions will be held on Thursday and Friday at Jamaica College, while the public session will take place at the National Arena on Saturday.

According to Spencer, gone are the days when the party had a ‘Joshua’ or a ‘messiah’, referencing the Michael Manley and P.J. Patterson eras, whose charismatic speeches were enough to excite and galvanise support, setting the stage for victory at the polls.

“The election is going to be won constituency by constituency. Every single constituency must be organised, with workers in place and on the ground. They are going to have to be armed with information to help the electorate, and it is going to be Mark’s (Golding) responsibility to motivate that base,” Spencer said.

He added that coming out of this weekend’s conference, party workers should be fully motivated and energised with a clear message to take to the electorate.

“Every single party worker must feel like they have a stake in this matter to ensure that the People’s National Party returns to victory, so he (Golding) has a huge responsibility to motivate that base, because they are the ones who are going to win the elections,” said Spencer.

Critical to what will be Golding’s maiden presidential address, having been sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic, will be his capacity to impress and win over the support of Jamaica’s working class. Golding was elected as the sixth president of the PNP in November 2020, defeating Lisa Hanna by a 1,740 to 1,444 margin.

“The party president will have to speak directly with the working class, the main traditional supporters of the party – the farmers, teachers, and tertiary students – those persons traditionally supported the PNP,” said Spencer.

WORKABLE SOLUTIONS

Spencer, who served in a previous PNP administration as state minister in the Ministry of Energy, said that in seeking to garner the requisite public support, the party cannot continue to dwell on the failings of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government but should, instead, have clear and workable solutions to present to the people.

“He must pinpoint what he is going to be using to solve the crime situation, saying the right things, and listening to the people. He needs to make Jamaica know who Mark Golding is, and to make people understand that he is capable,” said Spencer.

Spencer, whose PNP’s Region Five covers the parishes of Manchester and St Elizabeth, which features eight constituencies and 30 municipal divisions, wants Golding to use the conference floor to outline his goals for Jamaica in the first 100 days should he becomes the next prime minister.

“I think that the president does not need to articulate what the JLP is doing wrong. I think the country is already feeling the adverse effects of the JLP administration. What the president needs to do now is to say what a PNP administration is going to do when they come to office. He must articulate quite clearly at this year’s conference what he will do in his first 100 days in office, and what is it that he plans to achieve.”

“The young people need jobs, so you have to have a plan for job creation. A lot of businesses are going under, especially small businesses. There needs to be access to funds, so he must speak clearly to them,” Spencer said.

Albert Ferguson