By Anthony Myers, Contributor
Seaga
KINGSTON WESTERN is a safe JLP seat built by "Uncle Eddie" (Edward Seaga), the JLP leader.
His opponents are Bunny Witter of the PNP and Allan Martin of the NJA-NDM.
Thirty-two constituencies were fixed in the new Constitution granted to Jamaica in 1944. Kingston Western was among the 32 as the parish was divided into Kingston Western, Eastern & Port Royal, and Central.
The constituency of Kingston Western is bounded by a point on the sea coast opposite East Street, northerly along the western side of East Street to its end at South National Heroes' Circle, westerly along the southern side of South National Heroes Circle to West National Heroes' Circle, along the western side of West National Heroes' Circle to the Kingston-St. Andrew parish boundary at Torrington Road, westerly and southerly along the parish boundary to where it meets Spanish Town Road, north westerly along the southern side of the parish boundary on the southern side of Spanish Town Road to the Theatre, thence southerly along the eastern side of the parish boundary to the seacoast, easterly along the seacoast to the starting point.
Of the 12 contested parliamentary general elections 1944-1997, the JLP won 10 times to the PNP's two. In 1944, William Alexander Busta-mante (JLP), polled 9,663 votes to defeat Kenneth George Hill (PNP), by a massive 6,113 majority. With the departure of William A. Bustamante to "greener pastures" in Clarendon Southern where his 10,570 record majority over S. Beresford (PNP), stood for 27 years, Hugh Shearer contested the seat for the JLP in 1949. Kenneth Hill (PNP), who polled 10,099 votes had a comfortable majority over Hugh Shearer who polled 8,478 votes. In the 1955 general election, Iris King (PNP), was defeated by Hugh Shearer who polled 6,383 votes to Iris King's 5,246. Kenneth Hill who ran on the National Labour Party (NLP) ticket polled 3,262 thus spoiling the chances of Iris King. In 1959, the incumbent Hugh Shearer was defeated by Hubert Wallace (PNP) in an extremely close context; the majority for Wallace was 99 votes.
During the period 1962 to 1997, the JLP under stewardship of Edward Seaga won all eight contested parliamentary general elections. In 1962, Edward Seaga defeated Dudley Thompson by 680 votes. In 1967 his majority was a convincing 2,772. His majority was 4,066 in 1972 and a massive 5,757 in 1976. Edward Seaga with majorities of 8,760 in 1980 and 9,129 in 1989, 11,295 in 1993 and 9,370 in 1997, holds the record of representing a constituency for nine consecutive terms (the 1983 election inclusive). He is the only parliamentarian to have increased his majority every term from 1962-1993, moving from a 680 majority (1962) to 11,295 (1993), a remarkable feat.
Having won the 1997 general election by a massive 9,370 majority, Edward Seaga has secured a unique place in Jamaica's political history, as the only parliamentarian to have contested and won eight parliamentary elections. It would take an "act of God" to defeat this giant of a politician in Kingston Western.
Kingston Western is a safe JLP seat built by "Uncle Eddie" as he is affectionately called.
Anthony Myers is a statistician and political analyst who has done work for the Electoral Office of Jamaica and for the People's National Party.
