Former SE St Elizabeth MP Derrick Rochester is dead

Former parliamentarian Derrick Rochester is dead.

Rochester died this morning.

Rochester first won the South East St Elizabeth seat for the Michael Manley-led PNP in 1972, taking over from Vivian Blake.

He held the seat until 1980 when the Edward Seaga-led Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) swept to power by landslide.

He was re-elected in 1989 and remained until he retired in 2002.

Rochester served as parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Labour, with responsibility for worker participation from 1976 to 1980.

He was also  minister of state in the Ministry of Mining and Public Utilities, 1993-97.

Rochester was also a trade unionist and served as president of the National Workers' Union from 1989-93 and island supervisor from 1986-93.

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