BROWN’S TOWN, St Ann – Independent candidate Peter Shand put on a bold face after he was nominated today to contest St Ann North Western in the country’s upcoming general elections. 

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think (I could win),” Shand told reporters Tuesday morning in response to a question about his credibility in the battle for the seat.

“I’ve never done anything and failed, always been a winner. Everything I’ve done in my lifetime I’ve been successful, and this is no different,” the businessman added after descending the staircase of the constituency’s electoral office.

Some political pundits believe that Shand – a St Ann-based former People’s National Party (PNP) activist – entering the race will affect voting support that the incumbent Dr Dayton Campbell, the PNP standard bearer for the constituency, is expected to receive.

To that suggestion, Shand said: “I’m taking nobody’s votes, I’m taking my votes.”

Campbell, a medical doctor, is set to seek a third term as the St Ann North Western Member of Parliament.

This afternoon, Krystal Lee, a councillor from the St Mary Municipal Corporation who attended school in Brown’s Town, was nominated as the ruling Jamaica Labour Party candidate.

Jamaica’s general elections are set for September 3.

Sanjay Myers