#NominationDay: Alexis, PNP promise JLP defeat in St Mary

A large crowd of People's National Party (PNP) supporters was on hand to see Dr Shane Alexis nominated as the party's candidate for the by-election in the St Mary South East constituency left unrepresented by the death of Dr Winston Green.

Alexis, a former president of the Jamaica  Medical Doctors Association and the Medical Association of Jamaica, entered the compound with a huge stalk of sugar cane, much to the delight of PNP supporters.

The party's vice president for the region, Dr Fenton Ferguson, promised to give the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) another electoral beating and add another star to his belt.

Ferguson, known as a six-star general for his several election victories in East St Thomas, said in his address to the huge crowd that he told the JLPs' Pearnel Charles and Delano Seiveright that they should expect defeat.

But the man of the moment, Alexis, took the microphone to the sound of Girls Dem Sugar, a song made popular by dancehall icon Beenie Man.

Alexis had last month told Comrades attending the 79th annual conference of the PNP to call him "Sugar Shane", the name his grandmother called him as a youngster. 

"Nomination done, something else fi done," he said to a loud roar from the crowd as he clutched the sugar cane stalk in a play on his nickname.

PNP President Dr Peter Phillips told the crowd of supporters to go out early and vote for Alexis. 

The by-election is being viewed as a referendum on the JLP's  prosperity platform, while retaining it for the PNP is seen as retaining the margin in the House of Representatives between the Government and Opposition.