Constituency Profile: East Kingston & Port Royal

ONE OF the original 32 constituencies in Jamaica's first national elections of 1944, East Kingston and Port Royal has traditionally been hallowed ground for the People's National Party (PNP).

Some of the party's giants, including Sir Florizel Glasspole and Michael Manley, have represented the constituency in Parliament.

Other PNP stalwarts including Marjorie Taylor have had stints there, while the current member of parliament, Phillip Paulwell, has held the seat since 1997.

Paulwell, a lawyer and former technology minister, is looking for a fourth term and he is expected to score a big victory against Peter Sangster of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

But, despite the PNP dominance over the years, all is not well in several communities in the constituency.

East Kingston and Port Royal was once home to a thriving middle class.

Several of Jamaica's top professionals lived there in the 1950s, but the social landscape started changing dramatically during the late 1960s.

Neighbourhoods along Windward Road deteriorated and, by the late 1970s, there was an escalation of political violence.

Some of the most crime-ridden areas were Brown's Town, Dunkirk, Bowerbanks and Rockfort.

In recent years, the east Kingston police have pointed to a significant decline in violence in the constituency, but some of the constituency's younger residents are looking for improvements in other areas.

Shashu Payne, a graduate of the University of Technology and Mona School of Business, is one of them.

Born in Central Kingston, she has lived in Rollington Town for the last five years.

"The infrastructure is run down, the roads, especially, need fixing," she said.

Payne added that she is not impressed with talk about safe seats and youthfulness of candidates.

"What matters is their track record," she stressed.

Glasspole was the first MP for East Kingston and Port Royal. He represented the area in Parliament for 29 years, stepping down in 1973 when he was appointed governor general by Michael Manley who was elected prime minister in December 1972.

Eli Matalon, the former mayor of Kingston, replaced Glasspole, but he stepped down after two years because of failing health.

Matalon was succeeded by William 'Vonnie' Isaacs who retained the seat for the PNP in 1976.

Four years later, Hugh Small, who was member of parliament (MP) for South West Clarendon, took over from Isaacs for the October 1980 general election which the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) won convincingly.

Soundly beaten

Small was soundly beaten by the JLP's Glen Webley, giving that party its first and only win in East Kingston and Port Royal.

Because the PNP did not contest the 1983 snap election called by Prime Minister Edward Seaga, the JLP held the constituency throughout the 1980s.

In 1983, tourism minister and former East Portland MP, Anthony Abrahams, took over from Webley who had fallen out of favour with Seaga.

Abrahams resigned from the JLP in the mid-1980s and did not campaign for the 1989 general election.

Granclett 'Tal' Cadienhead was selected by the JLP to run against Manley, who easily regained the seat for the PNP.

Since 1997, it has been Paulwell, and residents there are hopeful that many of the infrastructural needs of the constituency will be addressed if he wins this time around.