Ricketts: I am 110 per cent confident of returning to office

Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts will be unveiling his election manifesto and slate tomorrow at the Wembley Centre of Excellence in Clarendon.

Ricketts, who was widely criticised for not presenting a manifesto the last time he went up against Stewart Stephenson in 2019, said his team has been trying to develop a comprehensive plan of action for the future, and that’s the reason for the current delay.

“Our manifesto will be unveiled on Wednesday,” Ricketts told The Gleaner.

“We thought that we should wait and construct it properly. So, on Wednesday at the Wembley Centre of Excellence, I will present my manifesto and my candidates for the elections.”

Ricketts, who will run off against JFF vice-president Raymond Anderson for his second successive term at Rusea’s High School on Sunday starting at 11 a.m., also declared that, based on numbers, he is 110 per cent confident of returning to office.

“Certainly we have had challenges, but this administration has done very well. I am 110 per cent confident. We have the numbers and we believe our work will campaign for us. We canvas these numbers daily and we believe that we will win and win convincingly.”

Nevertheless, he expressed his disappointment in how his rivals have acted in the run-up to the election and like his opponent Anderson, argues that the constitution is not being interpreted correctly.

As a result, he noted that it is very important to have a legal mind and practitioner in Christopher Samuda, as head of the electoral committee.

“The other side seems to be using a lot of tactics and propaganda. We are abiding by the constitution and we just want to ensure a fair process. So that is why we have an election committee, to oversee the process leading up to the election.

“I’m disappointed with the low level that the campaigning has taken. We want to stay on the higher ground because we want to ensure that, after the elections, we will be able show love and respect to each other,” he said.

“We have an election committee with a legal mind as a chairperson. We are also guided by the constitution but people seem to be interpreting the constitution how it suits them.

“The EOJ (Electoral Office of Jamaica) will oversee the elections on Sunday. We are being as transparent as possible and I do hope that the better candidate and the better slate wins.

“We are pretty confident. We have done the work and we have people on our slate that have given service to football.”

He added that Anderson’s team seems focused on winning the election in the boardroom but that they continue to do their ground work and continue to engage stakeholders leading up to Sunday.

“I understand politics and I understand canvassing and I understand the importance of connecting with your voters. So that is what I am doing. I am on the ground connecting with those persons who will be voting,” he said.

“We have the numbers. It is about getting people to vote, but they are hoping that they can win the election in the boardroom. So, let’s see how that works out. We will see what happens on Sunday.”

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com