Local Government ELECTION Watch - Labour plans sweep of St Thomas polls
published:
Tuesday | November 27, 2007
Daraine Luton, Staff Reporter
JAMES ROBERTSON, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) deputy leader and chairman of Area Council Two, is promising to take a labour broom through St. Thomas for the December 5 local government elections.
"We will take St. Thomas very easily," Mr. Robertson said. "St. Thomas is comfortable. We are looking at sweeping St. Thomas 10 love."
However, Dr. Fenton Ferguson, former chairman for the PNP Region Two and Member of Parliament (MP) for Eastern St. Thomas said the PNP can at least force a tie.
"That's wishful thinking," Dr. Ferguson said of Mr. Robertson's pronouncements. "We are looking to win the parish council. Worse case scenario is a tie."
Reversed results
The JLP won eight of the 10 parish council divisions in the 2003 local government polls. In doing so, it reversed the 1998 results which saw the PNP winning seven of the divisions to take the St. Thomas parish council.
Numbers are still not in favour of the PNP, when the results of the recent general election are examined. The JLP won six of the 10 divisions in the parish, including five of six in Robertson's Western St. Thomas.
Interestingly, Rosemarie Shaw who unsuccessfuly challenged Robertson for the Western St. Thomas seat, will be absent from the Morant Bay division for the first time in 26 years.
Ms. Shaw, a JLP councillor turned PNP, has decided to take a rest from politics. Her replacement in the strong PNP division is Bobby Sephestine.
