FORMER Chief Medical Officer Dr Winston De La Haye has joined the ranks of the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) as candidate for St Catherine East Central, the nine-year-old constituency represented by Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Alando Terrelonge in Parliament.

De La Haye made the announcement in a Twitter post Saturday, when he invited constituents to “jump pon di [campaign] train”.

The move leaves former Member of Parliament and PNP foreign affairs state minister Arnaldo Brown on the periphery, having suffered a marginal defeat in the February 2016 General Election.

A source close to party happenings told the Jamaica Observer that the party’s base in the constituency had shown little interest in backing Brown for a third bid.

Brown could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The source, who requested anonymity, shared that the party had flirted with the idea of installing chairman of the St Catherine Municipal Corporation and Mayor of Spanish Town Norman Scott as candidate, but that decision was seen as offering a lamb to the slaughter.

The source said De La Haye, who served as chief medical officer under both administrations, was seen as the perfect standard-bearer to vie for the young constituency — sections of which have been impaired by violence.

Yesterday, De La Haye told the Observer that having benefited “tremendously” from the country from as early as his years in high school through free tuition, he made a decision to return the favour.

“I choose to be in Jamaica because I love it. I’ve now found myself at a point where I’m now concerned about my 12-year-old’s future here. In other words, I don’t feel safe and I’m almost certain you don’t. Therefore, it means that my son is not safe and other children, and the rest of Jamaica,” the medical doctor said.

“So, when I look at it and I complain like you, like everybody else, not being comfortable with the direction of the country — irrespective now of administrations, because as you recall, I have worked in the Ministry of Health under two administrations, so that’s not what it’s about — if I sit in my air-conditioned office and continue to complain, I’ll be complaining for the next five years, too. So, I saw it as important to get up and get out there with the people and make representation,” De La Haye added.

Along with senior management experience in the private sector, the former army captain said he is bringing to the political table a “clean your brain, change your life” concept.

The concept, he expressed, should help to address concerns about the great level of indiscipline being exhibited across the country.

“There are few places in the world where you step on a man’s shoes, especially if it’s a Clarks, and die. Few places in the world where people drive up a one-way and curse you who is driving your car in the right direction. Few places in the world a man walking and decides him want to urinate and just do it anywhere at all. Where is our thought process? With the kind of violence we’re experiencing, we recognise that you could have a bunch of ZOSOs (zones of special operations) but it’s not going to work; it’s not going to happen,” he said.

As a result, De La Haye noted that he has plans to introduce a two-part concept to constituents — social engineering and emotional intelligence.

According to De La Haye, one requires that leaders determine what is socially acceptable for citizens, while the other reflects the thoughts that lead to feelings which ultimately lead to processing a situation and reacting.

“Where we have that wrong is when we get angry and determine that our reaction is to stab a man or shoot a man, or murder a woman and then murder myself. These are all the things that we are reading about and so, having not heard any mention of these concepts in politics, ever, I’m happy for the opportunity to bring that to the table. The people will decide. My concept isn’t just for PNP, JLP [supporters] are welcomed to participate in the concept. We want everybody involved and I realise that I need to be at the table when these things arise,” said De La Haye.