Holness urges Morgan to mend fences with disgruntled Labourites in constituency
Published:Tuesday | November 5, 2024 | 12:12 AMKimone Francis/Senior Staff Reporter
Jamaica Labour Party leader Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Sunday rued the loss of the Mocho division in Clarendon North Central, telling Labourites that the governing party is committed to regaining their confidence.
“This constituency is very important to the Labour Party. This constituency is a constituency we count on to form our majority in parliament. This is a dependable constituency, but I must be honest with you and say that things have happened, for which I am not pleased and I am sure you are not pleased as well.
“It is not too late to repair any breach and I want to see that when the election is called, that the Jamaica Labour Party will maintain its majority in the Mocho division of this constituency,” Holness told supporters at Clarendon College, where the party’s constituency conference was under way.
He told Robert Morgan, the member of parliament for Clarendon North Central, to mend fences with disgruntled Labourites in the division ahead of the general election, which is due by September 3 next year.
Holness said he had spoken with residents of the division and a special team was sent to interview JLP workers, executive members and influential people.
He said the team received good information.
“I have tasked your member of parliament to repair any bridge that has been damaged; to mend any fence that has been broken, to build back the love and friendship in the constituency,” Holness said on Sunday evening.
“Nobody can tell me that the Labourite majority isn’t there, but I know that some Labourites not happy. I know that some Labourites are frustrated, and as this is our conference, we will bring all the Labourites together.
“This is the perfect opportunity, the perfect stage, the perfect platform to say to all the Labourites in North Central Clarendon, let us come back together. Let us rebuild what we have. Let us make it stronger. Let us recommit ourselves,” Holness said.
At the same time, he declared that the JLP does not own any title to any constituency in Jamaica. Equally, he said neither he nor the party can claim ownership of any municipal corporation.
He acknowledged that it is Jamaicans who give the party their support by virtue of its performance.
He said while the JLP is counting Jamaicans to give it that that support and loyalty, it is also assuring them that hard work is being done to satisfy their demand to deliver benefits.
He said the party and its representative must redouble efforts to regain the confidence of the people of the Mocho division.
The JLP, for the first time in more than 50 years, lost the division in the February 26 local government elections, to the opposition People’s National Party (PNP).
The surprise loss followed a public fight between Morgan, a second-term MP and then JLP councillor Romaine Morris, who subsequently resigned from the party and joined the PNP.
Morris won the division on the PNP’s ticket polling 1,239 to the 1,043 polled by the JLP’s Clement Alves.
“So, MP, you have been given your task to make sure that the people of the Mocho division feel confident, feel satisfied, and feel justified in giving their full support to the Jamaica Labour Party as they have done for more than 50 years,” said Holness.