The warring factions continue to battle with each other within the Grenada United Labour (GULP), the country's oldest political party.

The acknowledged leader of one faction, former Cabinet Secretary, Gloria Payne-Banfield who lead the party into the 2003 general elections now sees herself as playing the role of watchdog for the party.

In an exclusive interview with GRENADA TODAY, Payne-Banfield said she wants to see democracy become the guiding light of the labour party. Earlier this year, a faction of the GULP led by barrister-at-law, Reynold Benjamin held what they claimed to be a party convention in St. Andrew's in which a new executive was voted into office.

Payne-Banfield who proclaims to have no interest in the leadership felt that the democratic principles of the party were not followed for that convention by the Benjamin group.

She said she is mainly interested in seeing GULP hold "a constitutionally-run convention". The ex-civil servant who prefers to be described as the political leader who is holding on at the moment until a new one is constitutionally elected said that while she has no interest in the leadership of the party, it must be noted that GULP has to have its convention based on democratic lines to elect a new leader.

"I was not running for leadership (at the Benjamin convention). I had decided I would not put myself forward for leadership, but I expected that those who were in charge of the organisation of the convention would have done it along democratic lines," she said.

Mrs. Banfield spoke of receiving petitions from three constituencies, South East St. Andrew's, South St. George and North East St. Andrew's which decried the manner in which the convention took place.

According to her, the party supporters and members felt that delegates were not properly selected for the convention. Payne-Banfield pointed out that she did not attend the convention since she was not satisfied that it  was properly organised and managed.
"...At that convention I would have stated very clearly that I was not contending the leadership of the party, and I'm still not contending the leadership of the party," she said.

The female GULP leader indicated that some party members are still urging her to hold onto the leadership but she is more interested in seeing a proper convention takes place with someone else getting the reigns of leadership.

"I don't want to hold on, but I get the push and the pressure from the followers who are saying to me, madam you can't abandon us. "And personally, I think it will be an act of cowardice to abandon them. But I do not want political leadership because I had said so earlier on.

"I am championing for a democratically run convention where all constituencies are properly represented, and people know what is happening. "We cannot purport to have a democratic country without a democratically lead organisation if they want to run this country.

Speculation is rife that the two factions might be forced to resolve their differences in court with both sides seeking the right to use the party's symbol, The STAR in the upcoming general elections.

The GULP have failed to impress the electorate at the polls since the collapse of the 1979-83 Grenada Revolution when marxist leader Maurice Bishop toppled Sir Eric Matthew Gairy from power in a coup d'etat.

It failed to recapture its glory days of the 1950's, 60's and 70's in elections held in 1984, 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2003. Payne-Banfield stated that while she will not say that GULP was hijacked by the Benjamin group when it staged "a 45-minute convention" earlier in the year, she felt that democracy was being practiced in a very strange way.

The former Cabinet Secretary disclosed that a number of senior and influential members of the party, including herself, as well as ex-government minister, Winston White, former Opposition Leader, Michael Baptiste are working together to organise  constituency groups for a new convention.

Trade unionist Bert La Touche is said to be backing the Payne-Banfield faction of the GULP over the Benjamin group. La Touche has reportedly realigned the Grenada Manual Maritime and Intellectual Workers Union (GMMIWU) with the labour party.

The trade unionist had moved away from GULP in the 1995, 1999 and 2003 poll in support of the ruling New National Party (NNP) of Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell. According to Payne-Banfield, her own role in the process is to assist with the party's reorganisation.

"You can identify me as someone who would like to see the party go forward in a democratic way based on the constitution of the party," she said. "I can't do much more than say to people we will have a convention, and when we have that convention... we are going to have it according to democratic lines, according to the constitution of the party, and whoever emerges, we all have to accept that," she added.

The senior female GULPite also disclosed that she will no longer contest national elections. She made it known that she is not retiring from frontline politics since it is her intention to continue addressing issues of national concern.