| PNP says it's ready for local polls |
| Jamaica Observer Monday, March 31, 2003 |
WESTERN BUREAU -- With their candidate selections complete and campaign activities underway, the People's National Party (PNP) says it is ready for the upcoming local government elections.
"The PNP has selected all its candidates. Our candidates have been campaigning," general secretary, Maxine Henry-Wilson told the Observer yesterday after the PNP's NEC meeting in Montego Bay.
"The central party campaign organisation has been meeting from time to time since as far back as November. So once an election is called, even if it were called on the 31st of March, we would have been ready. It just gives us more time to fine-tune our machine."
Her statement comes just two weeks after party leader, Prime Minister P J Patterson, announced a third delay in the local government elections that should have been held by today. Patterson told Parliament earlier this month that the elections would now be held by the end of June, to facilitate the continuation of the local government reform process.
The passing of municipality legislation and the upgrade of the law to bring those covering local government elections in conformity with those for the national vote were two items identified by Patterson as needing to be addressed before the elections.