WhitemanTHE PEOPLE'S National Party (PNP) coming out of its two-day retreat in Ocho Rios, St. Ann yesterday, is upbeat that it has been successful in generating a new spirit within the leadership of the party.
"Everyone now has a new sense of their responsibility, a new commitment and willingness to do things differently," Burchell Whiteman, the party's new general secretary told The Sunday Gleaner yesterday.
He said that he did not want to pre-empt Prime Minister P. J. Patterson who would make an announcement this week. Mr. Whiteman also said that many of the matters coming out of the retreat would have to go through the National Executive Council, but he said that they had drafted a set of proposals and recommendations aimed at making the party more efficient.
"The issues that we have examined, and I would say successfully, will make a difference not only to the efficiency and effectiveness of the party but also in fact in how we deal with civil society and the communities as well," said Mr. Whiteman.
The issues the PNP tackled included:
The strengthening of policy commission;
Campaign financing;
Monitoring of parliamentary and Government performance;
Outreach and recruitment;
Educating the membership on issues such as globalisation;
The role of the civil society and;
Deepening of community demo-cracy.
