AS I speculated in my last Commentary on the ongoing PLP leadership question, Premier Jennifer Smith will either have to find the wherewithal to solve the question of her leadership and bring unity to her party and Government or face the prospect of being forced from her position as Leader of the party and Government.

Judging by the recent comments in the media by some of her party's backbenchers, it seems that she has not risen to the task.

It is now clear that, far from making bridges, she has allowed the situation to simmer, and now matters have reached the proverbial boiling point, with some of her erstwhile political colleagues freely giving statements to the media and openly calling for her resignation.

Perhaps the Premier has calculated that she can once again hang onto her leadership position by gaining enough support from PLP delegates at the upcoming party conference in November.

Perhaps she is right, but I am afraid it will take more than displays of public exuberance - such as we saw the Premier engage in at the recent Cup Match - to turn aside this leadership challenge.

There is one more aspect to this whole affair, which may turn out to be the most important, at least politically. Unless the voters of Bermuda's electorate decide that this Government is worth returning to power in the next election, there is no reason to believe that it won't suffer the fate of any other political party whose control over government becomes threatened and is ultimately lost, due to the perception and reality that it is riven with discord.

In these circumstances, there are invariably questions as to the effectiveness of the Government and its ability to continue to govern. I am not saying that we have reached this point, even in the face of the continued PLP leadership question, but there has to be some fall-out from this.

There are already some indications that this is beginning to happen with the PLP Government.

I am speaking not so much of policy decisions of Government Ministers. In fact, in Cabinet, we have seen some real displays of leadership in the execution of policy decisions. However, the leadership challenges to the Premier are beginning to produce a drag on the Government's overall policies. If there are any grounds for blame, that blame can be laid at the feet of the Premier for not being upfront on Government policies and positions.

It appears that the Caricom initiative is in danger of falling victim to the PLP Government's internal squabbles over who should be the Premier.

Largely looked upon as the Premier's baby, the question of associated membership of Caricom looks as though it is being held hostage by some the PLP own backbenchers, who are peeved at being left out of the central decision-making process.

It certainly looks this way, with the whole process of taking the matter through Parliament now delayed, amid loud hints from some on the Government's backbench, that they may not support the Caricom initiative when it is debated in Parliament. Whether this determination will extend to a House vote on the issue remains to be seen.

PLP backbencher Wayne Perinchief has stated that he cannot diagnose the cause of what he and others consider as the failure of Jennifer Smith's Premiership; he can only point to the effect of that failure.

He is correct when he speaks of failure, for it can no longer be denied that Premier Smith has failed, at least in the internal politics of unity in her party and Government.

But I am afraid that party dissidents, both within the Parliamentary grouping and out there in the PLP political support base, must make their case to the larger community as to what they consider to be the shortcomings of Premier Smith's leadership. If they do not, bitter recriminations will be the result of any political setback in the next election.

It may be a measure of desperation on the part of some Government backbenchers to speculate that - should Premier Smith survive what looks like another leadership challenge in the November delegates' conference - they could invoke Bermuda's Constitution and the Governor's power to appoint a Premier supported by the whole House.

However, should the Premier be deposed in this way, it is unlikely to go down well with party supporters. This would be something of a Pyrrhic victory for Premier Smith's political detractors, and would in all likelihood mean another election. This is assuming that the Premier were deposed after a PLP win in the next election.

Is there a way out of the PLP's political dilemma and its continuing struggle over the question of who should lead it?

POLITICIANS are well-known for their instinct of self-preservation, especially if their political party holds the reins of government. I suspect that the same holds true for Bermuda and that, at some point, self-interests will come into play.

A consensus alternative to the leadership of Premier Smith could yet emerge, once enough people are convinced that her continued Premiership will not do any good for the overall interests of the Progressive Labour Party and its ability to hang onto control of the Government.

Whichever way it goes, the way ahead will not be smooth for the ruling party as it continues to grapple with the vexed question of who should be the Leader of the PLP party and Government.