MONTEGO BAY, St James – General secretary of the ruling People’s National Party (PNP) Colin Campbell says the party will resume its candidates selection meetings in the parishes of St James and Hanover on June 24.

“We will be having selections in all of the seats that are without candidates in that area (St James and Hanover) next week Saturday,” Campbell told the Observer Thursday.

Just under a month ago the party suspended its candidate selection meetings for all aspirants in St James and Hanover amid reports that the party was unable to manage the number of challenges that were being mounted for candidacy of the constituencies in the upcoming general election.

Campbell said that the selection meetings planned for those western parishes form part of the party’s plan to present all the candidates who have come out on top in the selections to the PNP National Executive Council (NEC) on June 25.

At least 11 aspirants will be vying for the four vacancies that exist in St James and Hanover.

In St James, where the opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has control of all but one of the four parliamentary seats, there are nine aspirants vying to become the PNP’s candidate in the West Central, North West and East Central constituencies.

The other constituency in the parish – South St James – is represented by the minister of labour and social security, Derrick Kellier, who has not been challenged for the seat.

Among the aspirants in West Central St James are former MP Patrick Rosegreen, political activists O Dave Allen and councillor for the Mount Salem division and former Montego Bay deputy mayor, Gerard Mitchell.

In North West St James, the aspirants are Henry McCurdy and Dr Juan Reid, while in the East Central St James constituency, Donald Colomathi, who unsuccessfully contested the seat in the 2002 general election; Jacqueline McBean-Blake and Hughlin Boyd are the aspirants.

In Western Hanover, sitting MP Ralston Hanson is being challenged for the right to represent the PNP in that area by former G2K vice-chairman Ian Hayles.

Meanwhile, Campbell told the Observer that no selection meeting will be held to fill the vacancy in the constituency of South Trelawny because the constituency is without any recognised group.

He said, however, that while the party has not taken a decision on the method for selecting a candidate, provisions have been made in the party’s constitution to deal with the issue.

“I am not sure what method we are going to use but, we can use our workers in the constituency, we can do what we call ‘soundings’. and there are various more mechanisms that we can use,” Campbell said.

At least six persons have applied to the party for the South Trelawny seat. Among them are Donnette Brown-Reid and former MP for the constituency Lindel Frater.

cummingsm@jamaicaobserver.com