Daraine Luton, Sunday Gleaner Reporter

Dejected members of the People's National Party (PNP) from left party general secretary Donald Buchanan (head bowed); vice-president Peter Phillips and campaign director Paul Robertson, listen as PNP president Portia Simpson Miller, gives her post-election speech at the party's Old Hope Road headquarters in St. Andrew. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

Portia Simpson Miller will not be challenged as president of the People's National Party (PNP) at today's 69th annual conference of the party. The conference, which has been scaled down to just one day, takes place at the National Arena.

Donald Buchanan, the party's general secretary told The Sunday Gleaner that Mrs. Simpson Miller still enjoys the support of "a united People's National Party".

He asserts: "One thing I am certain of is that comrade Simpson Miller will not be challenged by anybody at the conference. The party is fully united behind the leadership of comrade Simpson Miller."

Taking stock

Vice-president Dr. Peter Phillips echoed similar sentiments: "I don't expect any contest to take place. I think that the party needs to come together in some sort of way and take stock of itself and how it goes forward. The event on Sunday can only be the start of that process. It can't be the completion."

Asked about his own ambitions of becoming party president, Phillips said, "we are considering the best way to take the party forward."

Phillips was first runner-up behind Simpson Miller in the PNP's presidential contest held last year February. In addition to Phillips, she defeated Dr. Omar Davies and Dr. Karl Blythe to win the presidency, succeeding P.J. Patterson as party president and prime minister. Her administration lasted 17 months before the PNP lost power.

Simpson Miller led the PNP to its first election defeat in 18 years on September 3. Her party won 27 of the 60 House of Representatives seats, while the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), which had been in Opposition for 18 years, won 33 seats and formed the government.

The PNP's annual conference is the platform for electing the positions of president and four vice-presidents. Phillips, Angela Brown-Burke, Fenton Ferguson and Derrick Kellier are current vice-presidents.

Kern Spencer, who contested the vice-presidential race last year, said he would not be be seeking the job this time around.

"In the interest of the rebuilding of the party, I do not support any election at this conference," says Spencer, newly elected member of parliament for North East St. Elizabeth.

According to Buchanan, the conference will be all about business.

"We will be doing a lot of business in terms of looking at our party organisation and discussing the reports that come from the delegates and the groups and discussing how we prepare our movement for the next phase," Buchanan stated. "The reason why we are holding this kind of conference is because we are concentrating on doing the business of the party ... We are concentrating on serious political discussion and work."

He emphasised that the conference, which is being held under the theme 'One Family, Looking to the Future', will not be caught up in the post-mortem of the recent general election. An appraisal committee has been set up and given the task of evaluating and assessing the party's election performance and to make recommendations, he disclosed.

This report is expected to be presented to the party's strongest decision-making group outside of annual conference - the National Executive Council - in November. Two University of the West Indies personnel - a senior lecturer and a professor - have been asked to lead the appraisal committee.

Anticipated address

However, the conference will not escape the shadow of the failed campaign for a fifth term in power.

In the absence of campaign director Dr. Paul Robertson, who is overseas, deputy campaign director Paul Burke will report to the party. Buchanan, as general secretary, will also report to the conference.

But the most anticipated address will be by Simpson Miller, who is slated to speak at 2:00 p.m.

Buchanan said she would be speaking to the conference as well as the wider community, through the media.