INCUMBENT Jamaica Labour Party candidate for St Thomas West, James Robertson, wrought the ire of security and election officers after showing up over an hour late to be nominated at the Yallahs Primary School, minutes before the scheduled time of People’s National Party candidate Rosemarie Shaw.

Robertson, who had a scheduled nomination time of between 10:00 and 11:20 am, arrived at approximately 12:25 pm in a fashion befitting his campaign slogan ‘pon top a tings’, seated squarely atop an SUV.

The father of two told the Observer that his late arrival was because the nomination centre was moved from the Yallahs courthouse to the primary school, creating a logistical nightmare in transporting party supporters from the constituency office in the town’s main street.

“It should never have been changed,” he told the Observer, “It’s too much in and out of such a small square …not even Naggo Head (Portmore) square could have handled the problem we had this morning.”

Robertson, who paid his nomination fee in $500 notes, apologised to the returning officer and said he would be making a formal request for the nomination centre to be returned to the courthouse.

His lateness resulted in an undesired meeting, as orange-wearing PNP supporters started arriving shortly after to support the nomination of candidate Rosemarie Shaw, leaving visibly annoyed security officers on duty with the task of maintaining the peace.

One officer told the Observer he thought it was a deliberate attempt on Robertson’s part to provoke a confrontation.

“He should be here between 10:00 and 11:20 am and he is doing it because he knows he has until 2:00 pm,” he said.

Rosemarie Shaw, sporting orange T-shirt and orange slippers, was nominated at 12:55 pm and said confrontation was something she avoided.

“I’ve always stayed away from that type of politics, I’m not upset but I’m concerned,” she said.

Shaw added that poor infrastructure was the continuing plight of the parish and would be one of the things high on her agenda if elected.

“My priority will be infrastructure and to get younger people into farming,” she said. “I have talked to two investors about Goodyear and plans are far in advance …I’ve never been more confident and I really do care about St Thomas, the parish of my birth.”

The National Democratic Movement’s Earl Delisser, who was first at the centre, said he was not necessarily expecting to win but would be interested to see how many votes he would receive.

Meanwhile, following the nomination of all three candidates, there were allegations that a JLP supporter boxed PNP supporter Gary Foster.

Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell who was at Yallahs Primary “to give support to my ‘sister'” as he told the Observer, encouraged Foster to press charges.

“My advice is to press charges and not to retaliate,” Paulwell said. He added that his party was committed to peaceful elections and that they would not let anything derail those intentions.

In St Thomas East, with choppy seas and rain-filled clouds for a backdrop, JLP candidate Dr Omer Thomas was nominated at 10:35 am at the National Works Agency in Morant Bay.

Thomas and several electors turned up at the gates of the NWA but were refused entry by police. After some debate with returning officer Evelyn Ferguson, Thomas and 11 persons were let into the premises.

He later told the Observer that the mix-up occurred because police on duty had been told that only nine persons should be let in. When asked why he had carried an extra person, Thomas said he had brought his 10 electors plus his legal adviser.

Thomas paid his nomination fee with 30 $100 notes, on which, he pointed, out is printed the image of Donald Sangster, the country’s second prime minister and Labour Party member.

Thomas added that the bills were numbered 1-30 and were specially requested from the Bank of Jamaica.

“Not that numerology has anything to do with output,” he joked to the Observer.

The pathologist, who hails from Lluidas Vale in St Catherine, and has run pig and cocoa farms in St Thomas for the last 15 years, was in a buoyant mood.

“My machinery is in place and I feel extremely confident that I will walk down Duke Street and be victorious on the night of August 27,” he said.

Thomas left the premises to meet a throng of dancing, green-clad party supporters at the Sherwin Williams paint store on Church Street shortly before the skies opened up, letting out buckets of rain.