LAST night’s official presentation of Joan Gordon Webley as the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) parliamentary candidate for East Rural St Andrew has ended weeks of speculation that the head of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) would replace the embattled Joseph Hibbert.

It had been rumoured for some time that Hibbert, who was fingered as a person of interest in the corruption case in which UK bridge building firm Mabey and Johnson has been accused of bribing governments for contracts, would not be fielded as a candidate for the party in the upcoming general election.

After the meeting, he told the Observer he decided to step aside because his job in the constituency has been completed.

“When you have completed a job there is nothing further to do and my job is done,” was all he was prepared to say.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who left another political gathering in Trelawny via helicopter to personally introduce Gordon Webley and have a face to face with the constituents, told Labourites last night that the East Rural St Andrew seat was an important one to the party.

He also used the opportunity to praise Hibbert for having served the people well.

As he introduced Gordon Webley, Holness lauded her as having a track record in the constituency. She previously represented East Rural St Andrew in the ’80s after defeating the PNP’s Lloyd ‘Perry’ Stultz in the October 1980 general election. Then, in September 2007 she ran for the South East St Andrew seat, but lost to the People’s National Party’s (PNP) Maxine Henry-Wilson and was subsequently appointed to the NSWMA.

Last night she did not say how soon she would resign the post.

“Let’s just wait and see,” she told the Observer.

Holness said Gordon Webley is one of several women the JLP will be fielding in the upcoming election. The JLP, he said, will be fielding more women than any other party in the country’s history.

Deputy leader of the JLP Senator Desmond McKenzie, who is the party’s candidate for West Kingston, said the party was indebted to Hibbert for the work he did to maintain organisation in the constituency.

“You must measure the quality of an individual by their performance,” he said, adding that he had done a tremendous amount of work.

“The people in East Rural St Andrew say that Mass Joe not going back and they want to ensure the Labour Party remains dominant in East Rural St Andrew,” he said.

Meanwhile, McKenzie accused the Opposition PNP of being hypocritical for questioning the credibility of former head of Customs Danville Walker who has been announced as the JLP candidate for Central Manchester.

Seven months ago, he said, the PNP was singing Walker’s praises.

“The PNP felt Walker was the answer to the electoral problems in Jamaica,” he said, adding that Walker had seen the light and recognised that in order for Jamaica to continue on the path he must be a part of the JLP.