Hayles urges Westmoreland PNP supporters not to be distracted by polls
Published:Thursday | August 24, 2023 | 12:08 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
People’s National Party (PNP) Vice President Ian Hayles is claiming that internal polling data shows that the party’s parliamentary candidates in Westmoreland are ahead of their opposition rivals.
“We are ahead by 20 percentage points in all three constituencies – the PNP is going to take back Western Westmoreland, Central Westmoreland, and Eastern Westmoreland,” said Hayles, who is in charge of the party’s region six, which includes St James, Hanover, and Westmoreland.
The regions consist of 10 parliamentary seats. George Wright, formerly of the Jamaica Labour Party, is the sitting member of parliament for Central Westmoreland, the JLP’s Daniel Lawrence, Westmoreland Eastern, and Morland Wilson for Westmoreland Western.
During the PNP’s Central Westmoreland constituency conference, held Sunday at the Petersfield High School, Hayles told party supporters, “I say to you tonight, comrades, don’t be distracted, the polls were done in Central Westmoreland more than once, and the last poll that was done showed Comrade Dwayne Vaz busting the stool man (Wright’s) ass.”
He didn’t provide the full findings to the public.
According to the PNP’s polling, Vaz has a 14-point edge against Wright, the self-declared independent member for Westmoreland Central, according to a source close to the PNP Secretariat, who is not authorised to communicate with the media.
Hayles is reportedly 16 points ahead of Wilson in the race for the Western Westmoreland seat in the next general election.
Hoping to put a stop to the infighting within the party, Hayles urged supporters to put their differences with other members of the PNP aside and concentrate on the party as a whole in order to secure victory at the end of the polls.
His words of encouragement were, “Love the People’s National Party, love your party”.
He added: “Some of you might not love Vaz, some of you might not love Comrade Karl Blythe, and some of you might not love me too.”
After mentioning the controversial footage of Wright seemingly assaulting his fiancée with a stool, Hayles took a jab at the fact that he remains a member of parliament. He also cast doubt on the qualifications of the three JLP legislators in Westmoreland for Cabinet positions.
“How in God’s name does the parish of Westmoreland have three backbenchers that are warming the benches of Parliament? The one from western sitting down warming bench, the one from central sitting down with his stool and the one from eastern sitting down up there around the back, and then you are going to ask yourself ‘what is being done in Westmoreland?’ Nothing is being done,” he claimed.
To retake power in the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation, the party’s followers are being urged to turn out in greater numbers and rally behind the five candidates for Westmoreland Central’s municipal divisions for the local government polls.
He stated that, in order to achieve success, it was necessary to rally support behind the team and set aside any and all disputes.