No return for WMC councillors who defected from the PNP

WESTERN BUREAU:

It would appear that behind-the-scenes efforts by former People’s National Party (PNP) Vice President Dr Karl Blythe, to get the three Westmoreland councillors who recently defected from the party to return to the fold, have not achieved the desired result.

Blythe, a former long-serving member of parliament for Westmoreland Central, told The Gleaner yesterday that, based on the limited conversation he has had with the councillors, who are now operating as independent councillors in the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC), they have shown no desire to return to the PNP.

“I have spoken to a couple of them. The party leader (Mark Golding) was of the opinion that we don’t necessarily need any enemies from our own camp out there,” said Blythe. “He is willing to keep the door open for discussions, but the party, having decided to interview other people for the positions with the idea that local government elections could be before February (2024), the party has to move on.”

At the monthly meeting of the WMC, Ian Myles, councillor for the Little London division; Garfield James, councillor for the Sheffield division; and Lawton McKenzie, councillor for the Grange Hill division, who were all elected on the PNP’s ticket, severed ties with the party after Ian Hayles, who formerly represented the party in Hanover Western, was elected to represent Westmoreland Western.

Initially, the councillors took their objections to the PNP hierarchy but, after not getting a favourable response, they decided to separate themselves from the party. In the aftermath of that decision, the trio joined the four Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillors to create a new majority in the WMC and ousted the then Deputy Mayor Danree Delancy, replacing him with Myles.

“I don’t think they see the road back, because the party would be moving on, interviewing other candidates to fill their position,” said Blythe, a life member of the PNP’s National Executive Council (NEC). “So, I do not think they are that enthused to want to go into any deep discussion.

“It is my hope that, even if they are not the (PNP) candidates in the next local government election, they will remain with the party and not against the party.

“We can part because of differences, but we don’t have to be enemies, and we don’t have to join forces with the opposition because you don’t want to be fighting your own on the opposition side.”

When contacted, Myles said the Independent councillors have not had any discussion with Blythe about them returning to the PNP.

“He has not met with any of us, neither James, McKenzie, nor me. He called to try to arrange a meeting, but it never materialised,” said Myles.

Myles also noted that it was now too late to have talks with the PNP’s leadership, claiming that the opportunity for such an intervention was not seized by the party.

“At this time, no, not now,” said Myles about returning to the PNP.

“We would have given them all the opportunities, but they didn’t seek to do any intervention, even when we cried out while the discrepancy was at the peak,” said Myles.

“As it is now, we have resigned, they have closed the door, they have replaced us, so I don’t see why we need to talk to them.”

editorial@gleanerjm.com