Dalrymple-Philibert confident in JLP councillor-candidates for Trelawny Southern
JAMAICA LABOUR Party (JLP) supporters in Trelawny Southern got a morale boost during Thursday’s Nomination Day exercise in Albert Town when former Member of Parliament Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert appeared to support the party’s councillor-candidates as they were duly nominated ahead of the February 26 local government elections.
The bright afternoon sunshine overhead seemed to emphasise the joy and celebration among the JLP supporters as Dalrymple-Philibert, in her brief appearance, showed up to witness the councillor-candidates undergo the nomination process.
“In my opinion, as a supporter of all four councillors in the Trelawny Southern constituency, I have absolutely no doubt that all four divisions will come in for the JLP,” Dalrymple-Philibert said in a short interview.
The joy of having Dalrymple-Philibert present was confidently expressed by Collen Gager, the JLP’s councillor-candidate for the Warsop division in Trelawny Southern, who noted that the former member of parliament was still active in supporting the constituency.
“What it (Dalrymple-Philibert’s resignation as member of parliament) has done is to revive the whole constituency, because she is here working with us, and although she isn’t working in the member of parliament capacity, she’s working with the people who love her and respect her, and everybody is happy to see her,” Gager said confidently.
But that view was not shared by supporters of the opposition People’s National Party, who braved increasingly rainy conditions earlier on Thursday to see their chosen councillor-candidates get duly nominated, as they made it clear that it was time for the JLP’s rule in Trelawny Southern to end.
“The PNP nah go stop come out, and, when we done, we a go motorcade inna di rain and show Jamaica that South Trelawny ready. We a go show the member of parliament who have the constituency from nearly four terms sey we ready fi move them,” PNP supporter Hopeton Martin said with conviction.
Dalrymple-Philibert stepped down as Trelawny Southern’s member of parliament and as Speaker of the House of Representatives in September 2023, after being hit with eight criminal charges for making a false statement in her statutory declarations after omitting a Mercedes-Benz motor vehicle from her filings between 2015 and 2021. The controversial use of a 20 per cent duty concession to acquire it was also in contention.
In the meantime, Thursday’s nomination exercise was carried out without incident under the supervision of Trelawny Southern’s returning officer Talbert Golding, as the PNP candidates, and later the JLP candidates, completed the formal channels to be recognised as having been duly nominated.
In addition to Gager representing the Warsop division, the JLP’s councillor-candidates for Trelawny Southern are Desmond Smith for the Lorrimers Division, Devon Davis for the Albert Town division, and Liston Wauchope for the Ulster Spring division.
Meanwhile, the PNP’s councillor-candidates for the constituency are Gregory Clarke for the Lorrimers division, Kedon Glave for the Warsop division, Lloyd Gillings for the Albert Town division, and Andre Ennis for the Ulster Spring division.