Turncoats survive PNP’s wind of change in Westmoreland
Published:Tuesday | February 27, 2024 | 3:09 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
VICE PRESIDENT of the People’s National Party (PNP), Ian Hayles, says the organisation’s sweeping victory of the parish at yesterday’s local government elections is an indication that time has come for a change of governance in the affairs of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC).
“The people voted for road and water, especially in the west, Westmoreland, and an opportunity to get good representation, especially in the Grange Hill division,” Hayles said following the preliminary results of the 14 municipal seats in the parish.
The preliminary count showed the PNP winning 11 seats to the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) three in yesterday’s 17th local government elections.
The three seats won by the JLP are the Little London division, Sheffield division and Cornwall Mountain with Ian Myles, Garfield James and Dawnette Foster, respectively.
Six months ago, Myles and James defected from the PNP after winning their seats on the party’s ticket in the 2016 local government elections.
“It was a good day for the People’s National Party in Westmoreland and in particular, Western Westmoreland,” said Hayles, who is also the PNP’s political parish manager for Westmoreland.
“We won three of the divisions convincingly and the other two detractors/turncoats barely escaped and the numbers will show that they couldn’t have won without sympathy votes from the PNP,” Hayles stated.
Preliminary results from the Westmoreland Western Electoral Office showed that the PNP’S Danree Delancy won the Bethel Town division, Jerome Bacchus in the Darliston division and Michale Jackson, the Whitehouse division, all in Eastern Westmoreland.
In Westmoreland Central, the PNP won four of the five divisions with Patrick Forrester in Petersfield, Julian Chang in Savanna-la-Mar, Devon Thomas in Savanna-la-Mar North and Linden Lewis in the Frome division. The JLP’s Foster defeated the nPNP’s Abigail Malcolm in the Cornwall Mountain division.
According to the PNP vice president, the people voted for change in the Friendship division.
Myles says he is elated based on what transpired; to stand up and defend the JLP the way he did.
He lauded his JLP team for working hard enough to retain his seat, for him to continue the people’s business.
“Little London is buzzing with excitement. My work precedes me and the people in the Little London division voted for Ian Myles because of what I would have done and the relationship that we would have forged over time,” Myles told The Gleaner.
Meanwhile, Hayles says with more work, the PNP supporters have indicated that they could win all three parliamentary seats in the next general election.
“We have some work to do. The people have sent a message to the Government that they are ready for change,” he reasoned.