ORANGE BAY, Hanover — People’s National Party (PNP) Member of Parliament for Hanover Western Ian Hayles on Friday night launched his campaign for a third term in office.

In front of scores of party supporters in Orange Bay, in the constituency, Hayles declared that he expects to win by a margin of over 3,500 voters, as he listed a raft of achievements in the constituency during his second term in office.

These include: a number of road improvement projects; improved water supply for thousands of residents; construction of a building to house the Green Island Post Office; construction of community centres; the provision of electricity to several communities; the opening of a youth information centre and the upgrading of the Noel Holmes Hospital.

“Comrades, as you can see, this is the first time in the history of the constituency that this amount of work has ever been done by any member of Parliament,” Hayles declared, as he released copies of a magazine highlighting his achievements in the constituency between 2011 and 2015.

“We won the first election (2007) by 178 votes, we came back and we beat them by 2,000 votes and this time, with the help of my campaign team and everybody, its 3,500 I am looking to win by, because I have done what I had set out to do…,” he declared.

In recent months, Hayles, who is also the minister of state in the Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, has been harshly criticised by some PNP members for his stewardship in the constituency.

In fact a group named ‘Comrades for Change’ — which included former councillors, a current councillor and several other key party members in the constituency — had urged the hierarchy of the party not to endorse Hayles as its Hanover Western candidate in the upcoming elections, vowing not to support him if their wish was not granted.

During the launch on Friday night, two of Hayles’ councillors — Anthony Walker and Shernet Haughton, a former mayor of Lucea — were noticeably absent from the platform.

Hayles however, sought to downplay the absence of the two of his three councillors.

“As you can see, it’s a late-night event and it’s more like a dancehall event, and those of my councillors who are Christians are not here, but let me just tell you that with the campaign team which is in place, I am quite certain, I am sure, that we will win by a margin of over 3,500 votes in this constituency,” he told the Jamaica

Observer.

He added that a number of the party members, who had indicated that they were not in support of his candidacy, are now back on board.

“We are all PNP and this is one family,” he stressed.

On Friday night, Hayles also used the opportunity to officially unveil his campaign vehicle — a ‘criss’ Isuzu truck, outfitted with huge speaker boxes and fancy trimmings.

He said apart from taking the party’s message across every section of the constituency, the vehicle will also be used to promote the ‘HERO’ campaign launched in the constituency two months ago, which is aimed at reducing serious crimes in the area.

Businessman Brian Wallace, the brother of Carey Wallace who unsuccessfully contested the Westmoreland Western seat against the PNP’s Wykeham McNeill in the 2011 General Election, is expected to be the Jamaica Labour Party’s candidate in Hanover Western in the upcoming national polls.