THE EDITOR, Sir:MR. SEAGA is at it again. Clearly put, Mr Seaga's wishes were not granted during the just concluded JLP conference, as the delegates most appropriately defied his wishes to re-elect the Seaga loyalists, Babsy Grange and Edmund Bartlett, as deputy leaders of the party. The delegates decided to elect the challengers, Mr. James Robertson and Dr. Horace Chang, as the two new deputy leaders of the party.
As the delegates well appreciated, Mr Robertson and Dr Chang represent the new JLP that is in the making. These men represent the positive and essential changes that are necessary to bring the Labour Party back to the seat of government.
Fully understanding the message of the delegates, I would suspect, Mr Seaga, now feeling the gathering momentum towards his ultimate downfall within the party, has set out on course to erect a barrier of some sort to the successful realisation of this eventuality.
Mr. Seaga's unfortunate and thus far uncorroborated publicly and nationally discharged allegations suggesting that there were incidents of impropriety if not illegality surrounding Mr. Robertson's campaign are most disturbing and does more harm than good for the Labour Party.
During the last parliamentary and local government elections, there were public allegations that candidates for office in both the JLP and PNP were engaged in vote-buying and accepting money from questionable sources. However, at no time can I remember Mr Seaga calling for an enquiry into these allegations as concerned the parliamentary and local government elections to ensure that no JLP candidates were engaged in such practices. This I suppose because of the different levels of interest involved.
With respect to the Robertson campaign for deputy leader of the party, however, Mr Seaga's interest is different. Rather than serving to benefit his position within the party or furthering his efforts to become prime minister, Mr Robertson's election is seen as a threat to Mr Seaga realising these objectives.
Rather than graciously accepting Grange's defeat and accepting that his support within the party is weakening, Mr Seaga, displaying an attitude akin to a dictator, is merely trying to destroy Mr. Robertson, one of the seeming agents of change for the better within the Labour Party.
I am, etc.,
KKO SANGSTER
sangstek@msn.com
Lennox Bigwoods
Darliston P.O., Westmoreland
Via Go-Jamaica
