517 Delegates Will Determine the Next U.D.P. Leader

Five hundred and seventeen delegates from constituencies across the country will have the daunting responsibility of determining who will be the next leader of the U.D.P.  Tracy Panton says she has been meeting with delegates and for the next thirteen days, she will ensure that she has contact with all of them.

Tracy Panton

Tracy Panton, Candidate, U.D.P. Leadership

“I have lost a few days, of course, but I will spend as much time as I humanly can over the next thirteen days to get in front of as many delegates as I can, to talk with them personally, visit with them personally. If I am not able to meet with them personally, to make some contact so that they can be free to ask me any question they may have on their mind, to clarify any concerns they may have about my capacity, my competency, my experience to lead this party and also to share whatever ideas they may have in how as a mass party we can chart the way forward in the greater interest of the country and all citizens. I had to step back from the campaign for personal reasons for a week and a half, but prior to that, we were very aggressive in terms of our campaign to delegates and now that we move forward, we will continue doing the same. So it is not that I haven’t met with constituency leaders and with delegates prior to the situation we find ourselves in. So he may have had a week up on me, but I hope the deciding factor will be what I bring to the table: my experience, my contribution to nation building over a period of thirty-eight years, my compassion, my ability to build consensus and to unite and build this party, my ability to stay the course even with great personal sacrifice and at a time of adversity. I think that’s the kind of leadership that this country needs at this time. And I hope that in the eyes of the delegates, they will be able to see those qualities in me.”