MANDEVILLE, Manchester — With continued uncertainty as to when the long overdue local government election will be held, politicians and residents in this south-central parish have expressed mixed reactions.

Members of the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP), which has the majority in the Manchester Municipal Corporation, told the Jamaica Observer that the lack of indication of when eligible Jamaicans will vote, is affecting the country’s democracy.

However, members of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) have suggested that they are not bothered by the uncertainty.

The Local Government Election, which was last held in 2016, has been pushed back twice after it became due in 2019. The first time was attributed to COVID-19 while the second postponement was pitched as an effort to prevent disunity during the country’s 60th anniversary of Independence that was observed last year.

The Representation of the People (Postponement of Elections to Municipal Corporations and City Municipalities) Act 2022 was amended and tabled in Parliament in January of last year to temporarily allow the Local Government Election to be delayed until February 2023. The first Bill was passed in November 2020 to push the election back no later than February 2022.

Member of Parliament for Manchester North Western Mikael Phillips, in whose constituency two sitting councillors (PNP) have opted to not seek reelection, said the continued postponement of the election is affecting municipalities.

“It makes a mockery of the legislation itself of setting a fixed election date. The purpose of setting it is that you don’t keep just kicking the can down the road, extending the life of the council. There is no refresh at all. You have persons who want to retire not able to retire,” said Phillips.

Former deputy mayor and councillor for the Spur Tree division Ervin Facey (PNP) and councillor for the New Green division McArthur Collins (PNP) will not be seeking re-election.

Andrew Smith has been selected as the PNP representative, replacing Collins, while Keisha Phillips-Sutherland is replacing Facey.

Collins told the Sunday Observer that he is frustrated with the election being long overdue.

“I decided over two years now that I would not go back for the next Local Government Election, but we were hoping that the election would be called in February. I am upset and frustrated, because I was looking to hang up my towel…,” said the over-two-decade councillor.

Phillips said the death of councillors had left divisions without direct representation.

“You have even divisions that are without councillors, because you would have had councillors who would have passed on during the period, it has a negative effect on those who don’t have the representation,” he said.

“I think the greatest negative effect is that we made laws to prevent situations (postponing election) like this, but we have put ourselves back into the same position of making a mockery of the law,” added Phillips.

Mayor of Mandeville Donovan Mitchell, who recently said he would seek reelection only if the PNP doesn’t find an appropriate candidate to replace him, shared a similar sentiment.

“… We need to relook and now review the three strategic laws in terms of local governance, because there was one piece in the legislation that spoke to the matter of entrenching local governance into the constitution. If that was done, no Government would be able to play political football with the calling of elections, because we would be looking at a fixed date,” said the mayor.

He pointed to recent comments made by JLP General Secretary Dr Horace Chang who said the Local Government Election was “unlikely” to be held by the end of the month.

“I hope that the Opposition and Government will have dialogue to come to some agreement and to make sure whatever is the cause of the delay that the country knows,” said the mayor.

Councillor Mario Mitchell (PNP, Bellefield Division) said “the democratic process of the country should be upheld at all cost”.

“There have been a number of divisions without a councillor and for something like that we must find a way to treat with that,” said the Bellefield Councillor.

Minority leader in the local municipality Omar Miller (JLP, Craighead Division) said the country is recovering from the displacement caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I trust the members of the hierarchy as it relates to the decision to postpone it… you have councillors who are up waiting for the election for some time now,” he said.

Miller said all sitting councillors in the municipality who are members of the JLP intend to contest the next election.

“Yes, on the minority side, all councillors. We have selected and persons are going back and they are confident that they can take back their seats,” he said.

Leroy Mitchell (JLP, Walderston Division) said he is not overly concerned about a possible further postponement of the polls.

“Well I am not fussy about it — whether now or when — because anytime they call it I am ready, if they delay it I am ready, if the people see it possible that they need it now. They will quarrel about it, but I don’t believe [to] make a big fuss now, because at this time now with the work that the present Minister (Desmond McKenzie) is doing with the best we have ever had,” he said.

“Even in Mandeville here we are running it like a family…” he added.

Manchester like other parishes – Portland, St Thomas, Clarendon – lost a councillor since the November 2016 election. The late Councillor Cleon “Pancho” Francis (Jamaica Labour Party, Knockpatrick division) died in mid-2022.

Miller said the Knockpatrick division is receiving support from the mayor and MP Rhoda Crawford.

“… They work very closely in ensuring that the social support is still there for the people of the Knockpatrick division and truth to be told Mr Francis was not just a councillor for the JLP, he was a councillor for the people,” said Miller.

Educator Karl “Karlie” Smith, the PNP’s standard bearer in the Knockpatrick division, said the delaying of the election is “a bit frustrating”.

“… You have candidates who are in the field from as early as 2019. I would be one of them, and to be constantly postponing it you don’t know when… The work has to go on. Knockpatrick has been without a representative for some time now…The persons on the ground are showing displeasure at it being postponed… The people of Knockpatrick deserve better,” said Smith.

Residents in Knockpatrick told the Sunday Observer that since Francis’s death, they have been closely monitoring the selection process for the JLP, with three people showing interest in becoming the party’s standard bearer.

A woman, who asked not to be named, said she is not bothered by the delay in calling the election.

“At present, everybody wants a representative, but we have to be careful who we choose. Sometimes the timing is a better factor to get the right person,” she said.

A resident of Knockpatrick, who identified himself as Baker, said he isn’t interested in whenever the Government decides to call the local election.

“It feel a way without Pancho. He was a great councillor, hard to replace, but we still have to try find someone. A two people a run for it. Me give up pon politics, because fi mi councillor gone, so it done for me right now,” said Baker.

“Dem can do anything dem wan do right now, because neither a dem a help me neither the P nor the J, so if dem wan call it (election) a morning, tomorrow, it a nutten to me. All me wan know seh mi a eat and drink. The man me a work wid right now a him a me Government right now,” added Baker.

Another resident said Knockpatrick needs a selfless politician.

“We want somebody like Pancho who is responsible and caring. We don’t want anybody who is only for themselves. From Pancho gone nutten nah gwan. Look pon the road dem,” she said.

PNP activist and businessman Wayne Channer, who described Francis as one of the best councillors, said both parties have a lot of work to do in the Knockpatrick division.

“There are three people who are trying to run for the [JLP]. First and foremost there is none to fill Mr Francis [shoes]. When dem come dem have to go work mek me see and me a PNP,” he said.

“Karlie [PNP standard bearer] needs to get down on the ground some more, it would be a hard thing for him [to win] if Mr Francis was alive,” added Channer.