Dennis, Golding ready for showdown in St Andrew South race
THE JAMAICA Labour Party’s (JLP) candidate in the muchanticipated square-off for the St Andrew South constituency, Dane Dennis, has plans to address key issues like housing infrastructure and helping to return small and medium-sized business people to the community.
Speaking with The Gleaner ahead of Monday’s by-elections, Dennis’ campaign manager, Donahue Martin Jr, stressed that the JLP’s candidate is a man of St Andrew South soil and, therefore, is more in touch with various plights experienced by its residents.
Dennis, who will contest the seat against the People’s National Party’s (PNP) Mark Golding, is a hospitality and tourism professional by trade, a lecturer at two universities, and is also a member of the JLP’s youth affiliate group, Young Jamaica.
“He is from the constituency, and that is a part of our selling point. He is from Wilton Gardens, affectionately known as Rema, in the constituency. We intend to release a detailed manifesto (this week), but we have been on a listening tour to hear the concerns. The main points of that manifesto will be infrastructure development, and trying to bring back jobs.
“I can speak for Jones Town and Arnett Gardens. You had a lot of small to medium-sized factories in that community that left for various reasons – one being violence and the other being socioeconomic problems. With a Jamaica Labour Party Government, we are confident that businesses will thrive and we encourage a lot of those businesses to come back in our constituency,” Martin outlined. GOLDING PART OF CONSTITUENCY FOR 10 YEARS
In the meantime, People’s National Party (PNP) candidate, Mark Golding, told The Gleaner on Wednesday that he has been known to the constituents of St Andrew South for the last 10 years, but that his official campaign started after the 2016 general election.
“Dr (Omar) Davies had essentially delegated to me a lot of his responsibilities as member of parliament. We stay in touch on a daily basis. I have been active there now for a year and a half. Prior to that, I was on the constituency’s executive for 10 years. For six of those, I was vice-chairman. I attended monthly meetings of the executive and helped with fundraising, and so on, so I have familiarity with the issues of the constituency through that process, building relationships with the people,” said Golding.
“I am a person who has accumulated significant experience through my career – both in the private sector as a legal practitioner. I have experience in the financial sector, through investment banking; and my experience in the public sector as minister of justice and as a parliamentarian, having done 10 years in the Senate. That experience and the relationships I have built over the years are important sources of knowledge and support for the work that needs to be done in the constituency. I think that is an area where I would have a significant advantage over my young opponent,” he said.