Monique Hepburn, News Editor
WESTERN BUREAU:
STILL BRIMMING with confidence that he will come out the winner at Saturday's People's National Party (PNP) presidential elections at Jamaica College, Member of Parliament for Central Westmoreland, Dr. Karl Blythe, says that Portia Simpson Miller is the only candidate that will be able to match his delegate support base.
"There is only one person and that is in the form of my sister, Portia Simpson Miller, who can come close to my support base," Dr. Blythe told The Gleaner yesterday. "My opponents give all types of numbers concerning the amount of support they have going into the race but this is absolute rubbish."
"I have touched the people, flesh to flesh. No one can beat me. I have travelled and touched 90-95 per cent of delegates and I will be on top again."
REVIEW THE DELEGATES' LIST
Dr. Blythe declined to speculate on the number of delegates he has secured ahead of the elections, but spoke of his intention to review the delegates' list and to visit persons he has not already met.
"We are continuing our work on the road. Now that we have the list we will visit those delegates who we have not seen. We will be in St. Elizabeth on Tuesday and on Wednesday we will be in Kingston. On Thursday and Friday we will be working out our logistics to transport the delegates to the venue from western Jamaica's hinterlands."
"The other candidates will have to split up their votes, but the West is coming with one candidate," Blythe said.
Against the backdrop that his current campaign can be viewed as low-key, Dr. Blythe commented that it runs in the same vein as his previous campaign for the PNP vice presidency in which he secured 1,443 votes to Mrs. Simpson Miller's 1,365.
THE PEOPLE REMEMBER
"It is the same type of campaign that I ran when I went up for the vice presidency," he contended. " I do not watch the hype or the lack of media support."
"The people remember my track record when I was the Water and Housing Minister. They remember who gave them their houses and water. They have not forgotten and they will remember when the time comes," he added.
