People's National Party President Mark Golding (third left) is flanked by the party’s caretakers in St James (from left) Allan Bernard, Dr Andre Haughton, Janice Allen, Nickesha Burchell, and Rushell Reid-Knot.
February 15, 2025
PNP banking on young aspirants to break JLP control of St James
MONTEGO BAY, St James — The leadership of the People’s National Party (PNP) is expecting that its slate of young candidates will be enough to wrestle the parish from the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
The JLP now holds all five constituencies in the parish with political stalwarts Dr Horace Chang, Edmund Bartlett, and the relative newcomers Homer Davis, Marlene Malahoo Forte, and Heroy Clarke holding the seats.
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But following a spot meeting hosted by its St James Central caretaker Janice Allen on Wednesday, PNP President Mark Golding declared that the party will be relying on the age difference to topple the JLP in the parish.
“They are young and enthusiastic, they are extremely capable professionals and I believe that the people see the quality of the candidates,” Golding told the Jamaica Observer.
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Dr Andre Haughton will try his hand again at unseating Malahoo Forte in St James West Central, while Allan Bernard will be seeking to unseat Chang in the St James North Western.
Allen will lock horns with Clarke in St James Central while Nickesha Burchell will go up against Davis in St James Southern. Political newcomer Rushell Reid-Knott is slated to tackle Bartlett for the St James East Central seat.
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Golding, who was on a tour of sections of the parish, said the PNP team has been putting in the effort.
“They are working hard and they are getting good guidance from our internal set-up, which has been ensuring that they are doing what they need to do, and so if the Jamaican people are ready for change, I believe that we are going to do well in St James,” he declared.
It is not expected to be an easy task; however, given the fact that stalwarts like Dr Chang and Bartlett have rebuffed efforts on a number of different occasions, but Golding believes these young candidates have enough vigour to tip the scales in the favour of the PNP.
“Some of the old guys have been around for a very long time and some of them are way past their retirement age and I don’t think they have the energy for constituency representation on the ground that the young and enthusiastic candidates have,” said Golding.
He argued that what will assist the PNP’s candidates is being on the ground, meeting and greeting the individuals that they are seeking to represent.
“If our candidates are interacting with the people and showing the people what their plans are and presenting an authentic message of hope and commitment, I believe that the people will respond and that is what we’re seeing,” added Golding as he declared that when the elections are called the PNP’s representatives will put on a bold showing.
“We don’t call the elections so we don’t know when it will be, but based on what we have seen so far we have reason to be confident,” said the PNP president.
In the meantime Allen, who sits in the Senate, said she is confident she will take the seat from Clarke, based on the response she has so far received from residents, including on the tour on Wednesday.
“I have to say that it was encouraging because everywhere we went we were welcomed. Even in places where you might think that we shouldn’t be welcomed,” said Allen.
“I mean, when I stopped in places like Capital Heights and Rise Heights and get the kind of reception that we get, it’s amazing and it says to me that the people of St James are indeed ready for a different kind of leadership,” added Allen.
