Mayne is the man ... but hold off on election
Published:Monday | July 6, 2020 | 12:00 AM
Pointing to the resurfaced main road passing through the small community of St D’Acre in St Ann South West, a cookshop vendor and her customers say Member of Parliament Zavia Mayne is deserving of a second term.
But they are advising Prime Minister Andrew Holness to delay calling an election until communities that have taken a hit from COVID-19 begin to see normality.
“Zavia good, man. Him work. Him work, mi a tell you,” the cookshop vendor affectionately called ‘Nurse’ insisted when The Gleaner visited the constituency recently.
Nodding in agreement, one of those supporting her thriving cookshop business said Mayne had accomplished enough in the constituency since his election in 2016 to be re-elected for a second term.
“Zavia pass through ya all the while and stop ya so. Him fix road ya so, him fix road deh so,” one of the three men sitting at the shop said.
They claimed that Valenton Wint, Mayne’s main rival, would from time to time pass through the constituency but would not engage them.
“Him just drive go cross deh so, and him nuh stop nor nothing. ... Mi sorry fi him,” said one of the shop’s supporters, who had in his hand an eco-friendly lunch box.
But even as they reasoned that Mayne had overwhelming support in the constituency, they all agreed that the election should be delayed.
“Me woulda seh him coulda wait off likkle. With the COVID ya now, mek things pick up back,” Nurse said.
“And it a go hard fi handle people ya now with the [social] distance and so,” said one of the men.
A general election is constitutionally due by February 2021.
Despite the caution of holding elections too early in the COVID-19 pandemic, they insist that Mayne’s performance in the constituency has been commendable and is urging him to seek to address water woes in his next term.
“But if a even this,” Nurse said, pointing to the main road, “we haffi gi him a next chance.”