Parties dismiss concerns that Senate posts used to settle disputes
Published:Monday | May 26, 2025 | 12:13 AMKimone Francis/Senior Staff Reporter
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Jamaica’s main political parties have flatly denied using Senate positions to settle internal party disputes, even as tensions simmered in St Andrew North Central and a quarrel erupted over a selection decision in Kingston Central. Their rejection...
Jamaica’s main political parties have flatly denied using Senate positions to settle internal party disputes, even as tensions simmered in St Andrew North Central and a quarrel erupted over a selection decision in Kingston Central.
Their rejection of the growing argument came during forums held by The Gleaner at its office in Kingston, where Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) General Secretary Dr Horace Chang and People’s National Party (PNP) General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell were guests ahead of the pending parliamentary election.
“We have not done that,” Chang asserted, concerning division in the JLP over who is to replace Member of Parliament Karl Samuda as the party’s candidate.
Tourism strategist Delano Seiveright and attorney Christian Tavares-Finson seemed set to be on a collision course over the JLP stronghold, but an abrupt withdrawal of applications from the two have put a pause on the political showdown.
Only weeks prior, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness appointed Seiveright to the Senate and a junior to Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, fuelling talks of a compromise to steer his interest away from the constituency.
YOUNG ‘BULLDOGS’ OF THE PARTY
However, Chang sought to pour cold water on the argument, insisting that the decision was to fortify the governing party’s position on issues arising in the Senate.
Seiveright, Marlon Morgan and Abka Fitz-Henley, he said, are the young “bulldogs” of the party appointed to counter arguments from Opposition senators.
“Recently, we’ve appointed some young senators to expose some new, younger minds and some more aggressive persons in the Senate. The Senate is an oversight body, but you also need people who can also be quite aggressive in defending the Government and to respond,” Chang told editors and senior reporters.
He said the Opposition has used the Senate as its “fighting ring” because of its diminished presence in the House of Representatives.
With a 49 to 14 ratio in terms of seat count, Chang said the JLP’s standing is strong in the Lower House.
“We tend to get the bills through Parliament (Lower House) and the issues. They use the Senate as a fighting ground. So we have ensured that we have a number of young senators there like Mr Morgan to take on Senator (Lambert) Brown,” said Chang.
“Delano is one of the young vocal persons of the party. I think it is obvious, Delano, Marlon and Abka Fitz-Henley in particular are people who are a couple of the bulldogs we have on the team and we need that in the Senate; and you need that because going forward, we need the issues there dealt with,” he said.
The PNP has sought to stoke the flames on the JLP’s issues in St Andrew North Central, with Campbell concluding that Seiveright was appointed to the Upper House to avoid issues of unity.
SELECTION DISPUTES
In the same breath, he would not concede that selection disputes are sometimes settled via Senate appointment.
“I don’t know if we have used Senate positions to settle disputes,” he said, when asked whether such moves reflected good governance. “I saw where Delano Seiveright became senator and state minister, and then people were upset that he ended up applying for North Central. I didn’t hear any outcry about that.”
His comment was made against the backdrop of concerns that grew nationally in January, after it became public that former PNP member Lawrence Rowe had reportedly been negotiating a Senate position and $15 million to step aside as caretaker for Kingston Central.
“I met with the general secretary, who attempted to negotiate my transition. He offered me the role of deputy education shadow minister and $15 million. I declined and counter-proposed an appointment to a housing agency, a Senate position, and the $15 million. He promised to discuss this proposal with the party leader ... ,” Rowe claimed then.
Rowe, who was ousted as the party’s prospective candidate, subsequently parted ways with the party and later accused members of using state resources to fund election campaigns for other candidates.
He was replaced by retired Senior Superintendent of Police Steve McGregor.
Campbell said the leader of the party decides on who is appointed senator, noting that he has to have a level of autonomy as the person looking at how his team will function.
“If you think that somebody is competent and can serve, we can’t just expect that only 32, or whatever number that gets you in government, are the only persons qualified to serve in the Parliament. That’s obviously not true,” said Campbell, with whom Rowe had said he negotiated getting the Senate position.
“There are persons who may [have offered] themselves for a constituency; they were not successful, but they are eminently qualified and have the necessary skillset that they could make a meaningful contribution within the Senate or elsewhere in a government. That’s a part of the political process and it happens everywhere in the world. Not just in Jamaica, it happens everywhere that people form alliances, and you position so that the team can function. Even in your household it happens… .” he said.