HOPEWELL, Hanover – Dr D K Duncan, who served in the Michael Manley-led People’s National Party (PNP) Cabinet of the 1970s, is to decide within the next two weeks if he should offer himself to represent the ruling party in the Eastern Hanover seat currently held by the Jamaica Labour Party’s Barrington Gray.

Duncan, who was the national field director of Omar Davies’ “Campaign for Prosperity” during the recent PNP presidential race, told the Sunday Observer on Friday that since the presidential election, he has been asked by many “key persons” in the constituency to represent the party in that seat.

“A number of persons are interested in me running, even though I have given up representational politics years ago,” Duncan said, “but arising out of the presidential campaign and the possibility of early election some people have approached me.”

The PNP presidential race was won by Portia Simpson Miller. But during the campaign for the party’s top post, Duncan had indicated that he would support any of the four candidates who got the majority of the delegates’ votes.

Duncan, who was member of parliament for East Central St Andrew from 1976 to 1983, said that he will be meeting with key persons in the constituency over the next few days, after which he will make his decision known.

He stressed, however, that he was not hunting for a seat, but that his decision would depend on whether the party thought he was needed to run in that constituency.

“I am not seeking a seat, it is only in the event that they see it absolutely necessary that I will then consider it in the interest of winning the seat,” he explained. “But I am still in the process of talking to the people to see how they feel about other candidates, and after that I will be able to make a decision,” added the former PNP general-secretary.

In recent months, Duncan has come out in support of residents of Burnt Ground – a small community in the Eastern Hanover constituency – who have been demanding that the government provide them with an Environment Impact Assessment of the site proposed for the development of a cemetery in that district.

During the campaign for the PNP presidency, Davies and Duncan had arranged a meeting with the disgruntled citizens and the then Land and Environment Minister Dean Peart, in a bid to settle the dispute over the location of the cemetery.

Duncan believes that his support for the disgruntled residents has played a major role in the call for him to represent the constituency.

However, at least three persons are seeking to represent the PNP in the constituency.

They are former mayor of Lucea and councillor for the Sandy Bay division, Lloyd Hill; mayor of Savanna-la-Mar, attorney Delford Morgan; and former councillor for the Hopewell division, Cleveland Wright.

Hill contested the seat for the PNP in the 2002 general election but lost to Gray by more than 500 votes.

The PNP is expected to install a caretaker/candidate by the end of next month.

cummingsm@jamaicaobserver.com