Thompson Withdraws As Chair Of PNP Election Review Committee

By: Admin

Image caption: Dr Canute Thompson - File photo

Hours after being named as chairman of the People’s National Party (PNP) election review committee, Dr Canute Thompson has written to the party withdrawing his acceptance of the role.

The committee was announced yesterday by general secretary Julian Robinson who indicated that the body is to engage in a dispassionate assessment of the party’s campaign, its image and appeal, and the public’s perception of the organisation among other things.

The committee is also tasked with providing recommendations to address and correct the identified deficiencies and failings as well as assist the party in the development and implementation of its reform and renewal agenda.

Thompson has since indicated that he believes that the PNP already has an abundance of insights available in the findings and recommendations of the 2007 and 2016 review reports and the extent to which the recommendations have been implemented.

“ I am of the opinion that much can be learnt from those reports in the present circumstances as many of the subjects examined in those reports are included in the TOR’s [ terms of reference] for this review, which would no doubt reveal similar findings,” said the senior lecturer in educational policy, planning and leadership and head of the Caribbean Centre for Educational Planning at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

At the same time, Thompson has put forward five reasons he believes contributed to the party’s performance in the September 3 polls.

The PNP won 14 of the 63 seats.

1 - The party failed to communicate a clear vision to the country and even after the policy commission completed its work and proposed islandwide consultations for the leadership to share its policy proposals to citizens and get feedback so as to refine those positions, the party failed to implement the consultations.

2 - Extensive delays, and waiting until the last couple of weeks before the elections, to highlight (market) the party’s and president’s strengths, accomplishments, and contributions.

3 - Insufficient attention paid to attracting and enumerating new members.

4 - Lack of engagement between the party and its members in constituencies.

5- The failure to use social media creatively and extensively to communicate to citizens.

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