Another attempt is being made to bring unity among the two factions within the Grenada United Labour Party (GULP) that was formed over 50 years ago by Sir Eric Matthew Gairy.
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Gloria Payne-Banfield |
One group is led by former Cabinet Secretary, Gloria Payne-Banfield and the other by attorney-at-law, Reynold Benjamin.
According to a release sent out by former Opposition Leader, Michael Baptiste, a senior member of the labour party, a Governing Committee has been meeting during the past month to consolidate the total membership of the party under one head.
The release said that a convention that was planned for March 30 by the Payne-Banfield group will now be converted into "a
major social get-together" of labour party members and supporters.
The event will be held at Fort View Restaurant, Mt.Carmel, St. Andrew's starting at 1:00 p.m.
"The Governing committee therefore, invites all members and prospective members and well-wishers of the GULP to be part of this Gala Activity", the release said.
GULP insiders have confided in this newspaper that the two sides have agreed on a seven-member committee to pave the way for unification of the party.
Each faction is represented by three persons with the Chairman being an Independent persons with once close ties to the ruling New National Party (NNP) regime of Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell.
Among the persons on the steering committee are Baptiste himself, along with Payne-Banfield, and former government minister, Winston Whyte, as well as Colin Francis and Wilfred Hayes who are known to be members of the Benjamin faction of the labour party.
The GULP has been in the political wilderness for the past 29 years since the Gairy regime was toppled on March 13, 1979 in a coup d'etat staged by the left-leaning New Jewel Movement (NJM) of late Prime Minister, Maurice Bishop.
The party suffered its most humiliating defeat in the 2003 general elections when all of its candidates with the exception of Baptiste lost their deposits.
In recent months, two executive members from another labour party on the island, Bernard Jones and Shurland Bullen deflected and joined the GULP.
The party is believed to be trying to put itself in a state of readiness for the upcoming general elections widely expected within the next eight months.
