On the issue of the leadership succession, the Party is sitting on a knife-edge between victory and defeat in the next election; and how it is dealt with by the Party will make all the difference.

The process which will be employed to resolve this issue must be determined without delay. It becomes particularly urgent because the field of ambitious and capable aspirants is so large. This is good and a credit to the party.

Choosing a leader to succeed a leader who is also the Prime Minister of the governing party and who is voluntarily stepping down, is unique. Because it has not been done before, it will be precedent setting and could be a guide for the future and an example for the Nation and the region.

To give legitimacy to the next leader, the process has to be not only transparent and democratic, involving the largest cross-section of the Party as possible, but, like Caesar's wife, it has to also appear to be so. This can only be achieved by a special convention called for that purpose. This alone will heal the deep division in the party over this issue, and insure that the party will win the next election. To contemplate any other approach is suicidal.

To attempt resolving the issue in the Party Executive and or Council is ludicrous under the circumstances. Some may make the technical argument that it can be resolved by the Council, which is, constitutionally, the Convention when the Convention is not in session. But in these peculiar circumstances where the stakes are so high this suggestion cannot be taken seriously. The person selected in this maner would lack legitimacy and creditability (sic) and will not be accepted by the party as a whole and the country. The next election will be lost.

The negative undercurrent in the last convention against the Leader-Elect Amendment had many facets, but the belief that the principle as such was wrong was not one of them. The most prevalent objection was the timing, which perhaps had some merits. It was also a pervasive belief, that one candidate in particular had a decided advantage, especially in the wake of the unceremonious firing of another cabinet miniser for what the Prime Minister perceived to be crossing the line, in openly advocating support for another aspirant.

Under the circumstances, to be fair to all, the ground rules must be set. and set quickly and as early as possible. This would level the playing field and give each prospective candidate sufficient time to campaign without fear of retribution.