Unprecedented UDP Conventions Raise Eyebrows

Is the UDP playing fair with its caretaker conventions? Party rules say constituencies with losing candidates should hold internal votes to pick new caretakers. But only eighteen constituencies, those that backed the current Leader of the Opposition, are being asked to do so. And the process? Wide open to anyone on the voters’ list, not just party supporters. Is this transparency, or a power play?

 

Tracy Taegar-Panton, Leader of the Opposition

“The way the constitution of the party outlines this process that those caretakers or standard bearers that were not successful in the last general elections that there should be caretaker conventions within the constituency to appoint new caretakers. The way these conventions are being carried out is really unprecedented. One, because not all caretakers were subject to the same protocols. So, only eighteen constituencies have been asked to select new caretakers. Incidentally, those are the constituencies where the standard bearers supported my leadership. Now, the way the conventions are being carried out, it’s up open to all a sundry, to the voters list, whether you are known to be a party supporter or you’re not known to be a party supporter, we are selecting a UDP caretaker for a constituency, not a standard bearer and it’s two different processes and two different approaches. Nonetheless, we are where we are and that process is now underway. I have stayed completely out of it.”