Michael Abrahams | The PNP’s ball game of politics

On July 27, 2023, People’s National Party (PNP) General Secretary and Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Dayton Campbell made statements implying that Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) MP and Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz was connected to the 1983 murder of schoolgirl Diane Smith.

He further alleged that Vaz, former JLP MP Othneil Lawrence, and St Thomas Western JLP MP James Robertson were involved in a 2015 plot to assassinate then-Opposition Leader Andrew Holness. Vaz, Lawrence and Robertson subsequently filed defamation suits. On July 8, the matter was settled, with Campbell ordered to pay $1.5 million in damages, issue written and video apologies, and publish them across his social media platforms for one month. The apologies were also published in The Gleaner and Jamaica Observer newspapers, as well as on the newspapers’ respective social media platforms.

In his apology, Campbell acknowledged that his statements and insinuations “have no foundation in truth and are in fact categorically false”. He also referred to Mr Vaz’s disclosure in court where copies of his passport and college transcript confirmed that he was not in the jurisdiction at the time of the murder. Regarding the alleged assassination plot, Campbell admitted that an individual had confessed to lying on Vaz in a hoax, and that the person had been convicted and sentenced for public mischief.

This outcome is deeply troubling. Campbell’s admission of making false allegations has damaged not only his own credibility but also that of the PNP. And, as the dust settled on that episode, another controversy engulfed the party.

VOICE NOTES

On July 21, Nationwide Radio released voice notes allegedly featuring two PNP executive members discussing strategies to frustrate implementation of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) Act and undermine NaRRA CEO Major General Antony Anderson. The recordings were reportedly shared in a PNP executive WhatsApp group on May 27, shortly after Anderson’s appointment.

In one recording, a man is heard asserting that the Government is “going to do everything in their power to try to get whatever done, which means bypassing, like all parish council” and admitting that the PNP “probably woulda do delay tactics, and they don’t get it, which is why they did it that way”, adding, “But let’s play our ball game of politics.”

In the other recording, a woman comments, “The concern I’m raising is this, that Anderson’s track record is not one full of blemish, that it will be so easy to attach certain things to him. The corruption argument not going be attached to him so easily, right?” adding, “He’s the man who sort out all of the hurricane relief that got it to Jamaica, whether we know it or not.”

In essence, the recordings suggest a willingness to obstruct the programme and to tarnish Anderson’s character. There are multiple levels of concern in these recordings.

First, the exposure of the voice notes reveals astonishingly poor judgement on the part of those involved. Conducting such sensitive and potentially incriminating discussions in a WhatsApp group was remarkably reckless, particularly given the well-known propensity for supposedly private messages to be leaked. Moreover, amid persistent speculation about internal divisions within the PNP, the apparent leak from within the group itself only reinforces public perceptions of factionalism and mistrust. Ironically, although the PNP had publicly questioned Anderson’s appointment and suitability for the role, the very individuals heard in the recordings effectively concede that his integrity is beyond reproach.

MOST DAMAGING

Most damaging was the apparent willingness to sabotage the NaRRA. The act aims to accelerate disaster recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa by expediting reconstruction projects. Its primary objective is to deliver timely assistance to vulnerable Jamaicans. Any deliberate attempt to impede that mission for partisan advantage is morally indefensible.

Indeed, legitimate concerns have been raised regarding the act’s provisions relating to oversight, transparency, and the concentration of authority in the Office of the Prime Minister. Critics argue that these features could facilitate executive overreach or create opportunities for corruption. However, the sentiments expressed in the leaked recordings severely undermine the PNP’s moral authority to advance such criticisms. As Mickel Jackson, executive director of Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), aptly observed on X, “... these notes make it harder to separate principled criticism from political gamesmanship.”

On July 26, after five days of conspicuous silence, PNP President Mark Golding finally addressed the controversy during a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting. He stated that the party had delayed responding while seeking to establish the facts. He emphasised that the conversation did not occur in any official party forum, involved no party officers, and that no official NEC or executive WhatsApp group exists. According to Golding, the comments represented the personal opinions of individual members rather than an official party position or policy. However, notably absent from his remarks was any unequivocal condemnation of either the comments or the individuals who made them. Nor did he clearly affirm that the PNP rejects such reprehensible political tactics. And he did not deny that the individuals were members of the party’s executive council.

Taken together, Campbell’s admitted defamation and the NaRRA voice-note controversy, including the party leader’s reluctance to condemn the comments of the would-be saboteurs, portray a party willing to spread falsehoods, attack the reputation of a respected public servant, and contemplate obstructing assistance intended for vulnerable Jamaicans, all for political gain. These episodes have severely undermined the PNP’s credibility as both a critic of the NaRRA and a viable alternative government.

The PNP’s political ball game is flawed and fraught with own goals and red cards. In its present incarnation, the party is dysfunctional and moving along an erratic trajectory. Unless significant changes are made to its hierarchy, culture, mindset, and communication and political strategies, the party is destined to remain in the political wilderness for a very long time.

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator, and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on X @mikeyabrahams.