The leader of the main opposition, New National Party (NNP), Dr Keith Mitchell, Monday said he is not surprised at the decision by Delma Thomas to quit the party after indicating that her continued membership of the party had become “untenable”.
“This is stale news for me, I am not surprised, but I wish her all the best in her future undertakings,” Mitchell said.
Thomas, who served as a minister in the NNP administration that lost the last general election in June last year, said she intends to remain as a Member of Parliament representing St. Andrew’s North West and in “short order…will speak extensively on matters of politics, governance and representation”.
But Mitchell, who at one time was the longest-serving head of state in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that the NNP, which had won all 15 seats in the 2013 and 2018 general elections “will continue to do our work in that constituency”.
He regarded the constituency as “ a NNP stronghold,” adding “we will organise ourselves politically going forward”.
In a statement Monday, Thomas said she had submitted her resignation to the party’s chairman, Oliver Joseph, with immediate effect, adding “my continuation as a member of the party had become untenable following my many attempts to promote the democratisation or the organisation and the consequent orchestrated backlash from an extremely small section of the party’s leadership”.
She said her attempts to properly represent her constituency within the party has been met with frustration and that she will remain “committed to the principles of good governance, truth and solidarity.
The NNP, under the leadership of Mitchell, was defeated by the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the general election last June winning by a 9-6 margin
Last month, the NNP leader told reporters that as far he was concerned there was no contention between himself and Thomas amid media reports that the two were experiencing political differences.
But Thomas told a public meeting in her constituency admitted there was political differences that started when she suggested to Mitchell that he hand over the leadership of the party to Member of Parliament for the Town of St George’s, Peter David.
After he was sworn in as Opposition Leader, Mitchell announced that there would be a new NNP leader elected at the party’s first convention following its defeat. But that convention has not yet taken place.
