JLP camp gets steamy in Trelawny as municipal elections near

WESTERN BUREAU:

TRIGGERED BY a decision to replace candidate Wesley ‘Bob’ Nelson for the upcoming local government elections, tension is mounting in the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) camp in the Martha Brae division of the Trelawny municipality.

Speaking with The Gleaner, Nelson accused the ruling party’s top brass in the constituency of chastising and using “insulting terms” against him.

“They have used an insulting term to describe me. According to them, I am a dunce and they need somebody of quality to represent the party. When they had a candidate with a degree, the party lost by 428 votes,” complained Nelson.

A self-styled ‘Jack of All Trades’, the aspiring candidate is an angry and disappointed man.

“’Mi a parson, mi a mason, mi a taxi driver, mi a people person. Dem out of order bout mi a dunce’,” Nelson said with a stammer.

Floyd Green, the chairman of the JLP’s Area Council Four, in which the Martha Brae division falls, told The Gleaner that while it is a “democratic process”, the matter has not been brought to his attention yet.

“It is a democratic process and anybody is free to apply,” he said. “That matter has not yet reached my table. Until then I do not wish to make a comment.”

The division has been a People’s National Party (PNP) bedrock since its creation in 1997. It has never been won by the JLP.

Based on the latest development, Nelson is convinced that the party used him as a sacrificial lamb.

“’Them never believe mi have a chance. Mi wuk and mi wuk, mi move wid di people and lose by only 37 votes. Now it look like we can win them want fi move mi,” the Salt Marsh native said.

Joseph Palmer, a JLP stalwart who is in support of Nelson, said: “The party is using friend thing to make their decision. After Bob work the division they want to now take it and give it to a stranger who doesn’t even have a vote in the constituency. It is a move which will continue PNP dominance in the division.”

The division is presently being represented by the PNP’s Phillip Service, who has signalled his intention to leave representational politics.