JLP dropping 3 councillors in St Catherine; Cytall claims conspiracy
Published:Tuesday | February 22, 2022 | 12:10 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
At least three sitting Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillors in St Catherine have been dropped from the party’s slate of candidates to contest the next local government polls in the divisions they currently represent.
One of these councillors, William Cytall, who represents the Troja division, is said to have irreconcilable differences with the St Catherine North Eastern Member of Parliament Kerensia Morrison dating back to when she won the seat in September 2020.
Cytall said that he had learned of his fate from members of the constituency executive, who told him that he was being replaced by a Robert Grandison of Bog Walk.
“I have not been officially told by the member of parliament about it, but after I heard the story, I wrote to the party general secretary for him to clarify the matter, but I have not received a response,” Cytall told The Gleaner.
Cytall said that at an Area Council meeting, he had been wrongly accused of planning a demonstration against Morrison.
He was also criticised for not supporting a motion to rename the North-South Highway in honour of the former JLP leader and prime minister, Edward Seaga.
“I was accused by a senior member of the party of not voting on the motion to name the Edward Seaga Highway, which was not true, because the record will show that all I did was abstain when the motion came up for the vote simply because it was already a done deal,” Cytall disclosed, adding that he would resist any undemocratic move to displace him.
“I was elected by the people and the people have not called for me to step down. The procedure, as I know it, is if there is another contender, the constituency executive should facilitate a run-off to determine the wishes of the people,” he added.
On Monday, a handful of Cytall’s supporters in the Troja division took to the streets in a show of support, demanding that any effort to oust him be halted, adding that he has represented them well.
Morrison said the matter is being addressed by the JLP in a democratic manner, noting that any decision made by the party will be final.
The Gleaner has also been reliably informed that George Moodie, the sitting first-term councillor for the Ensom City division, along with two-term Sydenham division Councillor Hawthorne Thompson, have been shown the door.
St Catherine Central Member of Parliament Olivia Grange has revealed that Yacob Cookhorn, an electrical engineer, will be contesting the Ensom City division on the JLP’s ticket.
The Gleaner was unsuccessful in efforts to get comments from Moodie and Thompson. However, sources have said that the latter has been campaigning in the Angels division to challenge sitting People’s National Party Councillor Pat Harris, who narrowly won the seat in the last polls after a recount.