Coleby Contests PLP Chairmanship

A third candidate for the chairmanship of the Progressive Liberal Party has emerged in the person of Mr. Elcott Coleby. Mr. Coleby made his announcement on Monday, complete with a platform outlining his strategy to reorganize the party into an effective, policy driven organization under his chairmanship.

Below is the full text of Mr. Coleby’s biography and his vision for the PLP if elected National Party Chairman.

Press Statement from Mr Coleby:

Elcott Coleby, member of the Progressive Liberal Party and candidate for National Chairman

I was born and bred in New Providence and I am a proud product of the public school system, having graduated from A.F.Adderley Sr High School in 1980. I later obtained a B.Sc degree in Chemistry from the University of Alabama in 1990 and a MBA from Nova Southeastern University in 2004. I am a 23 year veteran of the petroleum industry.

I am an avid reader of non-fiction and world news who enjoys a good lively debate. My personal favorite news magazines are “Foreign Policy” and “The Economist” and I highly recommend them.

On the issue of organizational architecture, I am convinced that to meet the challenges of the 21st century, the PLP must entrench the position of National Training Officer in its constitution with specific metrical guidelines and targets as mandated by the National Leadership Council. Additionally, the Vice Chairmen must be both functionally and geographically aligned with the expressed objectives of the National Leadership Council and the Political Committee.

Further, I envision the Vice Chairs and the National Progressive Institute (NPI) collectively forming a critical body called the “Center of Focus” that will be charged with the principal responsibilities of rolling out and implementing all party policies, processes and initiatives. A scorecard designed to measure the level of success of such policies, processes and initiatives must be kept to ensure consistent compliance, discipline and accountability within the organization. It is understood that the NPI represents the future leadership of the PLP, therefore the skills, knowledge, and abilities of its members must be maximized in offering operational support at every level within the organization. When coupled with their present role of policy advice, I can think of no better way to prepare the NPI for future leadership in this great party.

As chairman, I will take ownership of and personal responsibility for designing this system that will prepare the future leadership of the PLP. These future leaders will be the face of the PLP and I make this commitment with the conviction that if the development of these future leaders is impeded, the party does so at its own peril.

The Center of Focus (COF) will identify gaps that could lead to organizational weaknesses and implement action plans to proactively close these gaps to continuously improve and strengthen the organization. Their intimate integration into the party’s machinery serves the purpose of also creating an orderly succession plan.

I fully intend to lobby with my fellow PLP colleagues to include the structure of the COF in the next PLP platform to be implemented in the public service when the PLP forms the next government; I strongly believe that cross-functional COF’s can serve as important catalysts for public service reform.