- CARLINGTON WILMOT/Freelance Photographer
Flanked by party supporters, outgoing JLP leader the Most Hon. Edward Seaga (centre) and Senator Bruce Golding (right), are escorted to the stage for the mass rally held to bid farewell to Mr. Seaga. The rally was held at Coronation Market, one of the landmarks in the West Kingston constituency, on Wednesday night.
FROM AS early as 8:30 p.m., the area set up for the rally to bid farewell to outgoing West Kingston Member of Parliament, The Most Hon. Edward Seaga, was filled with hundreds of Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supporters, on Wednesday January 20.
There were mixed emotions ranging from reflective, sad to anticipatory as one by one JLP stalwarts filtered into the main area. Vendors did brisk business, with ample amounts of everything from soup to liquor in the square. As MPs and caretakers packed the stage, the speeches begun and the crowd gyrated to the sounds of the disco that churned out hit after hit. Although it halted proceedings, the stage which briefly collapsed, was soon repaired.
Word of Senator Bruce Golding's arrival elicited a loud chant of, "Bruce, Bruce, Bruce ..." from the crowd who came prepared with buttons, and buntings and many onlookers were observed nodding in satisfaction as he ascended the platform with wife Lorna and son Stephen.
FIREWORKS
Son of the community and Kingston Mayor Desmond McKenzie, broke his sick leave to perform duties as chairman for the formalities and one supporter remarked, "Even if he had to be brought here on a stretcher, this could not miss him." The mayor had fainted at his office, earlier this week and was ordered by his doctor to rest.
Fireworks lit the skies and the crowd hooted and roared as their leader was escorted to the stage. The song, Brother Eddie is Our Leader, filled the space and as he settled on stage, the sound system belted out the party anthem, Equal Rights and Justice.
And so it ended, on the stroke of midnight, Mr. Seaga, in roll-call fashion, summoned all his key supporters as well as his successor Bruce Golding to join him at the podium, in a symbolic passing of the baton.
B.E.
