Buchanan

COULD THE demonstrable irritation of many Comrades with the leadership of the People's National Party (PNP) be coming to an end, at last, with the party claiming to enter a new era in its organisational preparation?

The impatience of Comrades has been hard to conceal since their party's loss to the Jamaica Labour Party by the slimmest of margins two years ago. Perceived as sluggish at best, Comrades on the ground have been demanding something more from the leadership of the PNP. The party plans to use the annual conference to crank up what has been perceived in the public domain to be a listless organisation driven by a sluggish machinery.

If the pronouncements of former general secretary Donald Buchanan are anything to go by, a re-energised PNP should be showcased to the nation in the coming months. The current secretariat, including general secretary Peter Bunting and his lieutenants, Luther Buchanan and Julian Robinson, have been given a strong confidence vote to recoup the losses incurred in the lead-up to the national elections two years ago.

work going well

Donald Buchanan asserts that the party is ready to launch a new phase of its organisational work.

"Work in the party, in the field and ground organisation have been proceeding well over the past 18 months," Buchanan tells The Sunday Gleaner.

Buchanan described Robinson as a "rock" in the secretariat. "He continues to be an extraordinary administrator."

The former general secretary said Luther was a good addition to the PNP secretariat to bolster the team as it prepared to hit the ground in the days ahead.

"Where we are now would put us in a better position than at the end of 1982," Buchanan declared.

In 1982, Buchanan was elected the PNP deputy general secretary in charge of organisation in the aftermath of the October 1980 general election.

Buchanan sees similarities between then and now.

Under the leadership of then PNP president, Michael Manley, and general secretary Dr Paul Robertson, with Buchanan as the support man, a policy commission was set up in the aftermath of the 1980 crushing defeat at the polls.

Dr Omar Davies was asked to head the 1982 commission.

new plan

Similarly, Buchanan said the current general secretary is armed with a new strategic plan. "It is now taking off in terms of a new thrust," he declared. Buchanan asserts that as the party had done in the 1950s and the 1960s and '80s when it was in opposition, the party has carried out its analysis and is now well positioned to face the populace.

"Today, the PNP is in as good shape as any opposition in terms of positioning itself," the former general secretary says. "We have gone through the analysis and are now ready to take on the Government."

Buchanan recalls that Basil Waite had assisted him with the organisational functions in the lead-up to the 2007 general election.

However, Waite, viewed as one of the young bright sparks in the PNP, quit when Buchanan stepped aside. Waite was reluctant to speak about his tenure as a national organiser of the PNP.