PNP plans to take it all in Manchester
Published:Tuesday | July 8, 2025 | 12:13 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
The People’s National Party (PNP) is sharpening its political claws for what it is hoping will be a historic takeover of Manchester – a parish that has not been fully clothed in orange since 1989-1993.
Back then, it was Calvin Lyn who beat the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Audley Shaw in Manchester North Eastern, sealing a four-seat sweep for the PNP. Lyn, along with John Junor (Manchester Central); Dean Peart (North Western) and Douglas Manley (Manchester Southern) were all elected to the House of Representatives on the PNP ticket.
However, Shaw returned in 1993 and became the JLP’s stronghold in the parish – a position he defended for decades, often as the lone green voice in a sea of orange.
Fast forward to 2020, and the tables dramatically turned. The JLP snatched Manchester Southern and Manchester Central from the PNP, shocking many and setting the stage for a bitter rivalry that has only intensified.
But Lyn is predicting a resurgence for the party in Manchester, drawing parallels between the upcoming general election and the party’s sweeping victory in 1989.
Addressing party supporters at a PNP parish meeting in Christiana, Manchester, on Sunday, Lyn expressed confidence in the party’s chances, saying, “When [the prime minister] calls the election, it will be similar to our time in 1989. And I will be out there night and day to help Valenton Wint win this seat for the People’s National Party.”
After suffering a defeat in Manchester Central in 2020, former National Security Minister Peter Bunting has packed up and moved shop to Manchester Southern. He is hoping the new battleground – once home to PNP heavyweight Michael Peart – will offer redemption. The incumbent, Robert Chin, won’t be on the ballot, having been ousted by JLP delegates. Instead, businessman Ian Ives will try to defend the green fort.
With Bunting’s exit from Manchester Central, Mayor of Mandeville Donovan Mitchell is now flying the PNP’s flag there. Known for his hands-on leadership and deep grassroots ties, Mitchell hopes his local popularity can flip the seat back into the PNP’s column – a seat the party held for over 30 years before Rhoda Crawford stunned Bunting at the polls.
Mitchell said he was keen on revitalising the parish’s infrastructure, and criticised the JLP administration, claiming that many infrastructure projects had deteriorated under their watch.
Mitchell said. “When I look at Mandeville Hospital sometimes, mi stomach sick. It can’t be the [same] hospital that Comrade P. J. Patterson built ... . We will make sure that the elderly, disabled ... when they go to the hospital, they’re treated with dignity.”
With Audley Shaw finally bowing out after decades in the trenches, the PNP believes Manchester North East is now wide open. The party won Christiana division, a strong Labour area in the local government elections last year. It has placed its bet on Valenton Wint, a former St Ann South Western candidate. Wint go head-to-head with political newcomer Audrey Marks, the JLP’s fresh pick. Wint hopes that Shaw’s exit signals a generational shift and a chance for the PNP to reclaim its Eastern flank.
Addressing the crowd, Wint outlined plans he said will transform Christiana. Atop his agenda, he said, are plans to alleviate congestion in the town centre – a task he said he had already been undertaking for years by offering his private property, Wint’s Car Park, as a parking solution for over 350 vehicles daily.
Wint also highlighted other issues, including the need for a proper animal market. “They don’t have a proper place to sell the animals, and I have given to the town to use, a property for that too.”
Wint also stressed what he said was dire need for an upgraded police station in the area. He said the current station lacked adequate parking space, forcing visitors to park on the road.
“If you go up a the station to make a report, you are going to get a ticket, because yuh a fi go leave yuh car in a the road. That little place has been there since donkey and carriages. We have thousands of cars now, so we want a proper place for our police station. “
Over in Manchester North Western, Mikael Phillips is the PNP’s veteran on the ground. First elected in 2011, Phillips remains a formidable presence and will be leaning on over a decade of experience to hold the line for the party.