By Roy Sanford, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE JAMAICA Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party (PNP) are both gearing up for control of the critical St. James Parish Council in the upcoming Local Government elections.
During the last Local Government elections, the PNP won 15 of the 17 divisions in St. James, but during the general election, when the JLP grabbed three of its four constituencies. All four constituencies were formerly held by the PNP.
The JLP says it plans to hold the upper hand it gained October, while the PNP swears to gain the ground it lost.
As part of its strategy, the PNP last week sent two of its high profile members, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson and vice-president of the party, Dr. Peter Philips, to the parish in order to drum up support.
"Without doubt, we suffered a set back in October," Dr. Philips told The Gleaner during a tour of several divisions in the parish. "But we are confident that with the candidates we now have, we have a very good chance (of winning) and we are very optimistic."
But, Mr. Patterson was more straightforward as he appealed to voters on the weekend. "For God's sake, don't give me another shock like the one you gave me on the 16th of October," he told supporters. "If I did not have a strong heart on election night, St James people would have killed me."
On the other hand, Deputy Leader of the JLP, Ed Bartlett, said his party is banking on the momentum gained during the general election to gain the upper hand in St. James. "The results of the last general election indicate the potential exists for the party to win (in St. James)," he told The Gleaner. "So we are very optimistic."
Mr. Bartlett said the party plans to bank on the lack of representation that he claims is being presently displayed by PNP councillors and house to house campaigning to win the parish. "The main concern here is the issue of local parochial representation," he noted. "Communities are being neglected so we plan to go house to house and do personal interaction with the electorate."
Dr. Phillips also said that the PNP has the organisational capability to win in the parish. "We believe we have the right candidates and the organisational basis to be successful in this parish," he said.
