I matured from green to ripe, Dennis Meadows tells critics
Published:Thursday | February 8, 2024 | 10:16 AM
Dennis Meadows, the People's National Party's (PNP) chosen candidate for the Trelawny Northern constituency, has taken a jab at critics of his switch from the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), while declaring it an honour to be able to contest the constituency for his newly chosen party.
Addressing PNP supporters in Falmouth, Trelawny on Wednesday evening, hours before Thursday's nomination exercise for councillors ahead of the February 26 local government election, Meadows declared that his changing of parties was both divinely inspired and influenced by PNP President Mark Golding.
“It was not God's will for me to be a JLP Member of Parliament. God said 'My son, if you want to have progress, join the PNP and become a PNP Member of Parliament,'” Meadows told the crowd amid loud cheers of support.
“Mark Golding is one of the reasons, if not the biggest reason I chose to mature from green to ripe,” Meadows added, to which the crowd gave thunderous cheers of approval.
“It was Mark Golding, among other things, that informed my decision to mature from green to ripe, and right now I am ripe for victory.”
Meadows joined the PNP's ranks in July 2022 after his departure from the JLP which took effect on March 24 that year.
At that time, senior PNP members Mark Campbell and Reverend Owen Wilson voiced reservations about Meadows' entry into the party, with Wilson citing Meadows' three failed attempts to win Trelawny Northern for the JLP.
In February 2023, Meadows applied to represent the PNP in the Trelawny Northern constituency, and was elected as the PNP caretaker candidate for the constituency seven months later.
The constituency is currently represented by the JLP's Tova Hamilton.
In the meantime, Meadows declared that he will work with the PNP's selected councillor candidates for Trelawny Northern to win back the Trelawny Municipal Corporation for the party.
“I have the honour and the privilege of being your next Member of Parliament, and I'm even more proud because I have a team of councillors who will take over that building behind you,” said Meadows, gesturing to the municipal corporation building.
The declaration came hours after Golding led a tour of several communities across Trelawny Northern to drum up support for the PNP's councillor candidates.
The PNP's councillor candidates for Trelawny Northern are Garth Wilkinson, the former mayor of Falmouth, representing the Falmouth division; Roydell Hamilton for the Martha Brae division; Fabion Davis for the Duncans division; Donovan Haughton for the Wakefield division; and Charles Wilson for the Sherwood division.
- Christopher Thomas
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