THEY trekked through intermittent rain, pelting sun, over hills and through valleys that make up much of the constituency and crammed themselves into the tiny Gordon Town Square in front of the East Rural St Andrew nomination centre at the Gordon Town Courthouse on Monday.

The usual trappings of elections were apparent — overburdened cars with their undercarriages practically dragging on the rough road surface; the orange and green flags protruding from motor vehicle windows where human body parts couldn’t fit; the ‘blinged out’ vehicles with the candidates’ faces digitally plastered across them and the noisy, ever-present vuvuzelas.

“Vote fi Labour and you get dis body yah!” yelled a nubile girl in a green-ish bikini as she draped her assets out of the window of a passing vehicle. She got a lot of attention, as did the skimpily clad girls whose arms clasped the waists of about a half a dozen motor cyclists in green as they gunned their bikes and popped wheelies in the square.

An hour or so before, the women’s orange-clad female counterparts in skimpy shorts, bikini tops, cut-up T-shirts and tights had danced their way up the steep mountain road from People’s National Party candidate Damion Crawford’s base at the Gordon Town community football field. “People need to move forward and Damion represent progress, he is the world boss,” said one voluptuous, scantily dressed woman.

She and her fellow comrades partied in the narrow streets and cheered their candidate as his team plopped down Crawford’s nomination fee consisting of three one thousand dollar bills and he officially offered his candidacy.

“It was awe-inspiring; the support that people have given me, it makes me feel like I was doing the right thing all along. I feel even more motivated now to work as hard as I can… Mrs Gordon-Webley was here before, but I will be here for the next 25 years,” said the young, obviously elated Crawford.

A short while later came a stunner; another Damion O Crawford offered himself as an independent candidate. The appearance of Crawford number two — clean-shaven and wearing crisp floral cotton shirt obviously caused a ripple among Electoral Office of Jamaica staff manning the nomination centre.

But his credentials and identification card checked out as he and his 10 nominators were registered in the constituency and on the voters’ list. He dodged the media as they tried to pry information from him, slipped out the door and down the courthouse steps with a terse “No comment”, before he zipped off in a small car, his busload of supporters ahead of him.

Later, the People’s National Party Youth Organisation (PNPYO) condemned the nomination of the second Damion O Crawford as an independent candidate.

“It is clear that the objective of those who are behind this act is to create confusion in the mind of persons who would wish to vote for the People’s National Party’s, Damion Crawford…,” the release read.

A press conference called by the PNP’s Crawford yesterday afternoon was later called off. “New details are emerging on the matter and the media will be advised in due course,” Crawford’s office said in a release, just over an hour before the press conference was scheduled to start.

On Monday, by the time the JLP’s Joan Gordon-Webley had arrived in the square, heralded by a sudden torrent of rain, the two Damion O Crawfords were temporarily forgotten.

“A Miss Joan mek mi know how donut taste,” shouted one exuberant supporter over the din of the loudspeaker in Gordon Town square.

“Mi memba when mi a likkle yout’ a go Gordon Town All-Age, wi never how donut taste, when Miss Webley come an feed the whole Gordon Town All-Age wid donut, wi get every likkle ting when wi a go home a wi yard. Wi have wi rice, flour, every likkle ting a carry go home a wi yard. She never even specialise inna who a Labourite from PNP,” said Karl, as sweat poured down his face and darkened his green T-shirt.

Security, provided by stern police and soldiers was tight, with the emerald-outfitted throngs prevented from getting past the human cordon they set up at the foot of the courthouse steps.

She presented her nomination fee — 30, $100 bills — expressed her thanks to the EOJ staff and stepped outside, where her supporters were partying up a storm, but not before blasting her young opponent for criticisms he uttered at a meeting in Mavis Bank some days before which she found offensive.

“He said that I am offering people ‘fee-fee’ for vote? I mean, that is so out of order and rude. He is insulting the intelligence of the people of east rural. He needs to offer a verbal apology to me and he needs to apologise to the people,” she declared, dismissing reports that Crawford had sent her a written apology since.

Hylton, Longmore get big support in Eastern

St Andrew

Over in neighbouring Eastern St Andrew, the PNP’s Andre Hylton was early at the nomination centre, completing the process in no time. He was supported by masses of supporters, who partied in the streets, turning it into a sea of orange. Later, his supporters intermingled with those of compatriot Julian Robinson from South East St Andrew.

The JLP’s Dr Saphire Longmore zipped through several key neighbourhoods in Mountain View, and Hermitage, as her motorcade, replete with vuvuzela-blowing supporters, rallied the Labourites to greet her.

Energetic, despite her four-month pregnancy, Dr Longmore marvelled at how much support she had garnered, to the point where her team had to seek extra buses to convey the eager green-clad throng around the constituency after she was duly nominated at the Mona High School shortly after 1:30 pm.

“When we were leaving the nomination office we had to call for about two more buses, so I think its about six, seven buses and cars and its amazing, and I am humbled, I am humbled,” she said.

— Additional reporting by Simone Morgan