JLP extends registration of delegates for conference

Amid much controversy surrounding the delegate’s list for the likely leadership challenge in the opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) party officials on Tuesday announced an extension of the registration of delegates to the 2013 annual conference.

At a press conference at the party’s Belmont Road headquarters on Tuesday morning, Dr. Horace Change, General Secretary said the standing committee – the party’s highest decision-making body outside of the annual conference, has decided to extend the registration deadline to Friday.

“The closing date for the registration by the constitutional rules was for the 31^st of March, the standing committee in its wisdom extended this until the 31^st of May. The impact of the decision last night is to extend the time and allow constituents who were not registered on the 31^st of May to register and obtain accredited delegates to the conference.”

He revealed that 24 candidates have not registered the delegates from their constituencies.

“In view of the failure of the constituencies to carry out their administrative responsibilities on time and in keeping with the rules of the constitution, the standing committee made a decision that the official list of those constituencies will be the last official list in possession of the General Secretary at the Party Conference.   This must be taken into consideration into reviewing this decision, because each year the constituency is required to register its delegates to conference," Chang said.

Audley Shaw, JLP Deputy Leader, on Monday  unveiled grand plans for the announcement in which he is expected to formally indicate that he will be challenging Andrew Holness for the leadership of the 70-year-old political organization.

Shaw disclosed that he will take to the airwaves with the announcement and that he has shifted the date of the announcement from Thursday to Sunday.
“We have decided that the announcement will be made in the form of a nationally televised and radio broadcast on Sunday night. I will be addressing the entire nation on Sunday night; I will be addressing the delegates of the JLP; I will be addressing members and supporters of the JLP,” said Shaw in an address to party supporters in the eastern parish of Portland.