JLP supporter calls Holness the messiah
On her upper left arm, Valsie Rose, a diehard supporter of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), proudly showcases tattoos featuring the late Prime Minister Edward Seaga and the party’s emblem — the freedom bell.
Further down, the late Member of Parliament Shahine Robinson’s face is inked, and Rose said she has reserved a space for Andrew Holness, who she calls the messiah:
“Andrew is like Jesus Christ.” Rose, a resident of St Ann North East, has been devoted supporter of the Labour party for 41 years.
“He helps the poor, he helps the needy... He helps everybody in Jamaica,” Rose said, as she confidently navigated the Montego
Bay Convention Centre in St James last Wednesday, where the date for the local government election was announced. The rock stone Labourite, who travelled from St Ann to the western parish for
the national meeting, donned a shirt emblazoned with the words, ‘Andrew Holness the Messiah,’ and made her presence known with a blaring vuvuzela.
The 57-year-old party stalwart told THE STAR that her original intention was to get a tattoo featuring Holness’s face on her right cheek. However, after her daughter’s persuasion, she has reconsidered and now plans to have the image of the JLP leader inked on the outer part of her hand, just below where Seaga’s image is positioned.
“He’s my brother, Seaga is my daddy, and Andrew is the Messiah, because he accomplishes things the PNP (People’s National Party) never did,” Rose said.
Political activities on the island have heightened since Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie announced Monday, February 26 as the date for the next local government elections.
Nomination Day is Thursday, February 8.
Rose has been campaigning in the Exchange Division in St Ann North East to ensure that the party’s pick, Ian Isaac, is returned as councillor. In the 2016 polls, Isaac registered a comprehensive 1,150-vote ( 1,663 to 513) win over the PNP’s Orville Scott. The JLP won 11 of the 16 seats in the parish during those elections.