The four candidates who were nominated yesterday to contest the West Kingston by-election. From left: Michael Elliott, NDM; Joseph 'Bunny' Witter, PNP; Bruce Golding, JLP; and Ras Astor Black, Jamaica Alliance Movement . (Photos: Bryan Cummings)

MARCHING bands and colourful parades characterised yesterday's nomination day in West Kingston as four candidates entered the race to fill the parliamentary seat left vacant in January by former Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader Edward Seaga.

The four - newly-elected leader of the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party, Bruce Golding; Joseph "Bunny" Witter, a 43 year-old technician, for the People's National Party (PNP); Michael Elliott, a businessman who is running for an alliance comprising the National Democratic Movement (NDM) and the Republican Party; and Rastafarian Astor Black, president of the Jamaica Alliance Movement (JAM) - will do battle for the more than 17,000 electors on the list for the April 13 poll.

The participation of senior officers of the PNP in the nomination day proceedings was unusually high yesterday.
However, the size of the PNP contingent was eventually overwhelmed by the large presence of green-clad JLP supporters led by Golding's campaign manager Desmond McKenzie, the mayor of Kingston.

At approximately 10:20 am, sounds of the first marching band echoed down Spanish Town Road, signalling the movement of PNP supporters from their Matthew's Lane stronghold to the Denham Town High School, where the nominations took place.

Police positioned themselves around the school to ensure peace. However, the indications, from early, were that the process would be friendly and orderly, as bike-riding JLP supporters from Tivoli Gardens supported the police by ensuring that their fellow labourites did nothing to disrupt the more than 200 PNP supporters who accompanied Witter to the nomination centre.

PNP and JLP supporters in a show of unity during nominations for the West Kingston by-election yesterday. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)

It was the biggest entrance into the nomination centre by a PNP candidate in years. The comrades, dressed in orange, danced and sang and followed their leaders - Witter, his campaign manager Phillip Paulwell, Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Omar Davies, Minister of Local Government Portia Simpson Miller, Minister of Industry and Tourism Aloun N'dombet Assamba, Minister of Water and Housing Donald Buchanan, Minister of Development Dr Paul Robertson, Minister of Information Burchell Whiteman, and MPs Harry Douglas and O T Williams - right up to the entrance to the school.

The police allowed only the candidate, the parliamentarians, some of the PNP officials and their security to enter the centre. Paulwell paid the $3,000-nomination fee to returning officer Adolphus McLean in $1,000 bills which bear the image of former PNP leader Michael Manley.

The comrades sang their anthem and trickled out of the centre to rejoin their supporters outside and then marched up North Street to their stronghold in Hannah Town.

Black, having parked some distance away, slipped into the centre, virtually unnoticed, shortly after the PNP team left.

He, however, ran into problems with the electoral representatives, as he had neither a witness with him to sign the nomination form, nor the 10 sponsors, as four of them were not on the voters list. However, he left and returned about an hour later with the 10 names and the signed form.

Black, who has chosen the heart as his symbol, said he hoped to give Rastas a voice in Parliament.

"I think Rastafari should be in Parliament and I am asking the people in Western Kingston to let a Rastafari represent Rastafari and the people of Jamaica who want love in Jamaica," Black said.

Elliott arrived after Black in a sports utility vehicle driven by NDM general-secretary Michael Williams, and accompanied by Republican Party head Denzil Taylor.

Williams explained that following the announcement by NDM president Earl DeLisser that the party would not be contesting the by-election, members objected to that position and the executive met Monday and decided to reverse the position.

He said that the party wanted to test the new electronic voter system, as well as its strength in Denham Town, which, he claimed, has been neglected for decades.

"We also heard Bruce Golding say that West Kingston is no longer a garrison and we want to prove that, too," Williams said.

The JLP's team did not arrive at the school until two-and-a-half hours later. At approximately 12:50 pm relative silence was broken again by the sound of a marching band, ringing bells and shouts of "shower" and "full time now" as more than 1,000 labourites marched up Industrial Terrace, dressed in various shades of green, hailing the party's new leader who walked in the middle of the parade accompanied by his wife and fellow leaders.

Among those accompanying Golding were his campaign organiser Desmond McKenzie, Leader of the Opposition and chairman of the party Dr Ken Baugh, deputy leaders Derrick Smith, Audley Shaw and Horace Chang, general-secretary Karl Samuda, spokespersons Olivia "Babsy" Grange, Pearnel Charles, Ed Bartlett, Ruddy Spencer, Andrew Gallimore and Everald Warmington as well as a number of councillors and constituency officials.

Golding paid his nomination fee in $100 bills, which bear the image of former JLP finance minister and prime minister Sir Donald Sangster.

After being nominated, Golding praised the Electoral Office of Jamaica workers for the job that they have been doing and said that he hoped that the process would be completed as efficiently and amicably as it had started.

Golding expressed confidence as he left, but said that the final decision was up to the people of West Kingston. He added that he would insist on a process of one-man, one vote and welcomed the use of the electronic identification system in the by-election to ensure a fair result.

However, he refused to give any details about his campaign as he said that he had every confidence in his campaign manager McKenzie.

Golding added that it was not really a campaign, because Seaga had left behind a structure which was efficient and quite capable of carrying on the legacy of JLP victories in the constituency since 1962.

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