THE Opposition Jamaica Labour Party has postponed Sunday’s special meeting of the party’s Central Executive which was called primarily to discuss the future of East Portland’s caretaker/candidate Dr Dennis Minott, who has been accused of bringing the party into disrepute.

Minott had angered some senior JLP officials, especially those on the so-called reformist wing, for taking to the political ombudsman, Bishop Herro Blair, his complaint of vote-buying during last November’s deputy leader’s race.

Blair eventually ruled on Thursday that he had no legal authority to intervene in what was essentially an internal JLP matter.

However, other sources claimed yesterday that Blair’s legal position notwithstanding, the case started to collapse a fortnight ago when investigations by Security and Management Services (SAMS), Col Trevor McMillan’s company, that Blair engaged to spearhead the probe, turned in no “concrete or specific evidence” of vote-buying.

A JLP statement announcing the meeting’s postponement gave no reason, but later Prudence Kidd-Deans, an aide to JLP leader Edward Seaga, said it was because “not all the individuals who were supposed to be there, were properly advised”.

“After being advised, they could not attend because of other commitments,” Kidd-Deans said.

There were other suggestions that the postponement was orchestrated by pro-Seaga factions in the JLP, who were concerned that the meeting could be used as a further platform to agitate for the party leader to set a timetable to step down.

“Elements of the party were planning to have supporters there, demanding that Seaga set a departure date,” said one source.

Minott’s allegations of bribery was essentially against backers of James Robertson. Robertson challenged for a deputy leader’s position, and won, against Olivia “Babsy” Grange, despite Seaga’s urging that there be no contest.

Grange is considered a Seaga loyalist, while Robertson is seen as being in the camp of Bruce Golding, the JLP chairman, the front-runner for the post-Seaga leadership of the party.

With Seaga, 74, having led the JLP for three decades and in Opposition for the last 15, younger generation politicians are eager to see him go, to give the party what they feel will be the winnability factor.

However, there were other suggestions that the meeting was postponed, in part, because of the decision by Blair to end his investigation and the destruction by fire on Thursday of a shop owned by JLP Portland councillor Benny White.

White, a strong supporter of Minott, was among those carrying the bribery allegations and had complained to the police that he had been threatened.

“Members feel that there is no need to fuel any more fires,” said a JLP official. “The meeting was bound to hear allegations and counter allegations about who did or did not burn down White’s shop. Believe me, we do not need that.”