LUCEA, Hanover – People’s National Party (PNP) General Secretary, Donald Buchanan, says the government is poised to make what he terms a “fundamental national announcement” about the development of the Vernamfield airstrip in Clarendon.

While not giving any details, Buchanan told a large crowd of PNP supporters at a mass rally at the transport centre in Lucea on Thursday night that Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller would be making an announcement soon, as he sought to get a leg up on Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader Bruce Golding, whom he said was in May Pen trying to steal the PNP’s thunder.

Buchanan said if there was anyone in the JLP who knew anything about the plans, it would be Member of Parliament for Central Clarendon Mike Henry who, by virtue of his stature as the senior parliamentarian in the parish, had been informed of the plans by himself and the prime minister.

“Golding is in May Pen tonight trying to make a statement about a project that he knows nothing about. If there is anyone in the Labour Party who could say anything about this project is Mike Henry who has come to the feet of the prime minister and myself as development minister and we have said to him ‘Mike Henry, as the senior parliamentarian in Clarendon we want you to know that the People’s National Party’s government is going to develop Vernamfield for a major millennium project as we have committed ourselves,” Buchanan said.

He then told the PNP supporters not to be surprised “when you hear the shout tomorrow morning, is not anybody else doing it, is Sister P doing it”.

The government, he said, had “come to an agreement with a consortium of Jamaicans and international people for the development of Vernamfield, one of the millennium projects that is going to lead us into the 21st century”.

“…Very, very shortly there is going to be a fundamental national announcement about the development of Vernamfield by the prime minister,” he added.

Buchanan described the JLP as “those who always try to steal other people’s thunder, try to make it appear as if they are the ‘guinnigogs’ of development and progress when we know they are the ‘guinnigogs’ of failure”.

He singled out JLP leader Bruce Golding, describing him as “the main failure”, proceeding to catalogue Golding’s political career.