JAMAICA LABOUR Party (JLP) leader Edward Seaga survived yet another test of his embattled leadership last night when 17 of 21 JLP Members of Parliament voted to have him continue as Opposition Leader.
At an emergency meeting at the party's Belmont Road, New Kingston headquarters - called by South East Clarendon MP Ruddy Spencer - to decide the future of Mr. Seaga as Opposition Leader, the MPs not only gave their leader a much needed vote of confidence but probably more importantly, put to rest - at least for now - reports that Mr. Seaga had fallen out of favour with his colleagues.
"I am very pleased with the outcome... not that I had any doubts," Mr. Seaga said last night. "I had full confidence this would happen."
Party chairman Bruce Golding, saying he hope this would now put to rest the misleading reports that have been circulating in the press, told journalists that the ballotting was done in secret and outside the presence of Mr. Seaga. He said the JLP was now ready to move forward and that it would be holding a retreat this weekend in Portland.
Absent from the meeting were MPs Devon McDaniel, Derrick Smith and Horace Chang. One vote was rejected while Everald Warmington arrived late to cast his ballot. Mr. Smith, who was said to have been sidelined by the flu, called to say he was fully in support of Mr. Seaga.
Mr. Seaga, since 1989, has survived a number of leadership squabbles. In 1990, following a loss in the Parish Council elections, the most controversial challenge to his leadership arose in April. The 'Gang of Five' saga was to be unveiled, in which five leading members of the party Ed Bartlett, Douglas Vaz, Errol Anderson, Pearnel Charles and Karl Samuda allegedly hatched a plot to oust the long-time leader.
Five years later, a number of party stalwarts from Western Jamaica expressed dissatisfaction with Mr. Seaga's leadership, noting that they were of the view that the JLP would never again return to power under his stewardship. Mr. Seaga would again survived that rebellion.
In addition to the challenges to his leadership, Mr. Seaga had overridden other snags which threatened to halt his political career. From as far back as 1971, Mr. Seaga had a tiff with then JLP second deputy leader the late Wilton Hill (after whom Wilton Gardens, which is popularly called Rema, is named). The stand-off got so bad that they only spoke to each other through a third person. In 1972 Mr. Seaga, although retaining his West Kingston seat, did not take an active part in the general election campaign in which the JLP was booted from office.
