Where the west goes ...
JLP and PNP taking aim at the region’s prized 12 seats
Published:Tuesday | August 19, 2025 | 12:08 AMAdrian Frater/Gleaner Writer -
WESTERn BUREAU:
“Where the west goes, the rest goes” has been a long-standing slogan in national politics, and with the 2025 general election looming, the region’s 12 seats, which the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) won in 2020 on its way to a resounding 49-14 national win, is expected to hold sway once again.
During yesterday’s Nomination Day exercise, the JLP, which is again hoping to upstage the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP), nominated 11 of the 12 candidates who won in 2020. Only Morland Wilson, who was replaced by Dr Garfield James in Westmoreland Western, will not be facing the electorate once again.
However, having done some amount of reshuffling, the PNP, who did extremely well in the 2024 local government elections, where they swept Hanover and all but swept Westmoreland, is now beaming with confidence that they will flip the script on September 3.
In their effort to turn the tables on the JLP, the PNP yesterday nominated six newcomers, five women – Senator Janice Allen (St James Central), Nekeisha Burchell (St James South), Rushell Reid Knott (St James Eastern), Andrea Purkiss (Hanover Eastern) and Heather Miller-Bennett (Hanover Western) – and one man, Allan Bernard (St James Northwest), to lead their charge.
In St James, long considered the epicentre of the region’s political power, yesterday’s nomination exercise saw both parties making impressive showings, drawing out large numbers of supporters to accompany the various candidates to the nomination centres.
In Montego Bay, it was a tale of the two parties sharing the city at different times. The JLP’s two candidates, National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang, for St James Northwest, and Heroy Clarke in St James Central, who were nominated in the morning hours, had the streets flooded with their green-clad supporters with their blaring vuvuzelas and chiming bells making quite a statement.
“The general feeling is exciting and militant. We have one focus and one aim and that is September 3, when we shall make sure that we get the ballots that we need for the third term,” said Clarke, who is seeking a third tern in St James Central. “We will now be going out in the field, and we will be campaigning and canvassing to ensure that we return Andrew Michael Holness for his third term as well.”
While saying she could not seriously speak to the seats outside of St James, stalwart JLP supporter Sharon Hill said she was extremely confident of a JLP clean sweep in St James.
“A 5-0 dem a get again … . MoBay is a Labourite greenhouse; is only green fruits we grow down here,” said Hill. “The likkle PNP supporter dem better just come join us so we can share de prosperity with them.”
However, based on the crowds seen yesterday, Hill’s prediction could be severely tested, as all five PNP candidates managed to pull out impressive support.
While the JLP had downtown Montego Bay locked down yesterday morning, the PNP did much the same in the afternoon, especially Allen, who was accompanied to the nomination centre by a massive crowd, led by a marching band.
“I am a Bay girl, born and bred in Montego Bay, and the people can relate to me because I understand them, and they know I understand them,” said Allen.
“I am here to serve the people, and they know that. I see this as a duty, I am called to serve, my family has always been called to serve, and I am here to serve the people.”
Like Allen, long-standing PNP supporter Arlene Higgins is extremely confident, saying she is feeling a 1970-like energy on the ground, not only in St James Central but across the entire west.
“The shift change, no third term not loading fe neither Heroy nor Andrew Holness… time come… time fe ease off the pressure and set Jamaica free,” said Higgins. “I am sure Bay Girl (Allen), Dr Andre [Haughton] and Nikeisha [Burchell] going to win. I hope we can take down [Edmund] Bartlett and [Dr Horace] Chang as well.
“Me know we have Hanover and Westmoreland, and Trelawny not looking bad, especially up in the south with Paul Patmore. I am looking for at least eight or nine of the 12 seats for the PNP here in the west,” added Higgins.
In Trelawny South, where businessman Patmore once won a local government seat as an independent candidate, and is now the PNP standard-bearer, JLP activist Margaret Clarke is warning the PNP supporters against counting their chickens before they are hatched.
“I have been in this thing from the 1970s and I am no fool to politics. Patmore is popular, yes, but this is not a popularity contest. In fact, I can bet you that the JLP will keep the two Trelawny seats. Mama D (Member of Parliament Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert) a run de ground long time; Patmore is in fe de surprise of him life. In Trelawny North, the PNP dem in Westmoreland reject Wykeham [McNeill], so why would the people throw away Tova [Hamilton] for a reject? That is not going to happen, so a 2-0 fe JLP in Trelawny.”
With the Nomination Day exercises now out of the way, campaigning is expected to intensify across the west as both sides take aim at the 12 seats, which 20 men (five independents) and nine women will be vying for. It will be interesting to see if tradition will hold, with the nation going “where the west goes”.