General secretary of the Opposition People’s National Party Paul Burke has said that it was always his intention to resign from that position regardless of the outcome of the February 25 General Election.
There have been calls from some quarters, including the party’s Region One — which is headed by former Cabinet Minister Lisa Hanna — for Burke to resign, following the party’s 31-32 loss to the Jamaica Labour Party.
Hanna, in an e-mail to members of the party, severely criticised Burke’s tenure as the head of the party’s organising machinery and insisted that he should be sacked. She further tabled a motion at a meeting of the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) last Sunday, which is intended to force Burke out of his present job. The NEC is the party’s second-highest decision-making body.
“Let me say this to you, win or lose I was going to resign [after] the conference. I had already told some people I was not going to continue,” Burke told Jamaica Observer editors and reporters last Tuesday.
The under-fire general secretary said that he came to that decision because he believed in a rebuilding process.
“Whether I’m at fault or not, whoever is general secretary must have the support of the majority. I believe there is a good 10 per cent who would not support my tenure as general secretary … it’s not about whether I was responsible or not,” he said, the latter part of his statement referring to his Party’s loss of State power.
“I don’t think it is healthy for the party to have a prolonged debate about whether Paul Burke is general secretary or not. It is a side issue and a distraction from things that ought to be ,” Burke added.
He said he was of the view that the new general secretary would need time to rebuild.
“So, the longer you hold on to that position, particularly when you are above 60 — and age is not the only factor… going forward you should be going with someone who is younger,” he said.
“I genuinely believe in this.”
Meanwhile, it is widely speculated that former state minister in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Julian Robinson is likely to succeed Burke.
Robinson, who serves as the party’s deputy general secretary, when contacted by the Sunday Observer said: “If and when a vacancy arises, I will make a determination about whether to offer myself.”
— Kimone Francis
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