Long-serving MPs look forward to new milestones

The JLP three are Mike Henry, Karl Samuda and Derrick Smith, while the PNP trio are Portia Simpson Miller, Robert Pickersgill and Derrick Kellier.

Henry and Samuda have been in Parliament since 1980.

But while data shows that those two JLP candidates have dominated the electoral landscape with their longevity, one PNP member has had her share of setbacks while still being the single longest consecutive serving parliamentarian in Gordon House.

But for the December 1983 general election that the PNP boycotted, Simpson Miller would have been the longest-serving parliamentarian, with eight and moving on to her ninth victory.

stunning upset

Simpson Miller first captured the South West St Andrew seat in a stunning upset victory in the 1976 general election, in what was then regarded as a JLP stronghold. She relinquished her hold when the Michael Manley-led PNP refused to participate in the snap election of 1983 but took back control in 1989.

Contrastingly, the glory days of the PNP's Robert Pickersgill and Derrick Kellier started that year. They are each seeking their sixth straight victory at the polls.

Henry, a seven-time MP, has been sitting in the House of Representatives since the general election of 1980 and said he expects to continue the trend.

Like Henry, Samuda was nominated in 1976 but both were unsuccessful in their first attempts at gaining a seat in Parliament, only to re-emerge with renewed vigour in 1980.

Samuda also holds the distinction of winning the same seat on the tickets of both the JLP and the PNP. He accomplished the feat when he won the seat for the PNP in 1993.

Interestingly, the other four members of the Gang of Five who remained with the JLP during that storm all lost their seats that year. These include Douglas Vaz in North East St Andrew, Errol Anderson in Western St Thomas, Pearnel Charles in Eastern St Thomas and Edmund Bartlett in Eastern St Andrew.

The JLP's Derrick Smith has been a member of parliament for two constituencies since 1983 - West Central Kingston and North Western St Andrew.

With the JLP out in the political wilderness for 18 years between 1989 and 2007, these men have spent most of their years on the opposition benches and were appointed to the Cabinet in 2007.

Pickersgill has been a minister from the day he set foot in Gordon House until the PNP's election defeat in 2007 shunted him to the opposition benches.

Kellier is a PNP vice-president who has stood firm in the challenging western Jamaica through his victories in Southern St James.

gary.spaulding@gleanerjm.com