What are the western losers going to do?

The elections are now behind us, a new prime minister is in place and candidates may, by now, have completed their election day post-mortems.

Already candidates in the western region who triumphed at last week’s national polls have stated their intention to improve tourism, agriculture and the social agenda during their term in office.

But what of the losers? Will last week’s defeat put them into political oblivion?

Today, we seek answers from some of them.

Hat-trick loser, Don Foote of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), says he’s willing to take another shot at the East Westmoreland parliamentary seat, which went to the People’s National Party’s (PNP) Luther Buchanan.

” The people love me and so if the delegates say that they still want me to remain I will stay with them. It is a tough PNP seat, but I was able to reduce the margin that I lost by this time around when compared to the 2002 general elections,” he explained.

Last Monday’s general elections marked Foote’s third defeat in his bid to secure that parliamentary seat having lost to former prime minister P J Patterson in the 2002 general elections and to Buchanan in the 2006 by-election, held after Patterson’s resignation.

The JLP’s Russel Hammond, who lost to the PNP’s Roger Clarke in Central Westmoreland by just under 2,000 votes, says although he is not interested in contesting a seat in the upcoming local government elections, he’s not ruling out running for the Central Westmoreland seat at the parliamentary level again.

“We are carefully analysing what went wrong on election day. We certainly had difficulty in bringing out some voters and there are reports of vote buying in the constituency,” he said. “It is stronger that I will be doing it than not to do it. Remember I am a popular person in Central Westmoreland and with a level playing field I believe that I have a good chance of becoming MP for that constituency,” said the 57-year-old Hammond.

The JLP’s Corris Samuels, who lost the bid for the North East St Elizabeth seat to the PNP’s Kern Spencer said he’d be serving the constituency as the caretaker. “If there is no challenge when the time comes around for the caretakership position, I will contest the seat again,” Samuels said.

The JLP’s Dennis Meadows who unsuccessfully contested the North Trelawny seat, which was won by incumbent MP Dr Patrick Harris of the PNP, is eyeing one of the five parish council divisions in North Trelawny.

“I am looking at options in terms of whether or not I will contest a local government seat and use it as a base from which to launch or continue my own political presence in the constituency,” said Meadows.

The PNP’s Henry McCurdy, who lost the North West St James seat to JLP deputy leader, Dr Horace Chang, said he’d be willing to run again if the people wanted him to.

“The people not only in North West St James, but the entire parish, have given me good commendations. My team is a very young team and I think we have done very well. If the people want me to run again I am willing to do so,” said McCurdy.

The PNP’s Donald Colomathi, who unsuccessfully contested the East Central St James seat for the second consecutive time, losing to former JLP deputy leader, Ed Bartlett, said he was on his way out.

“After two straight defeats I think it is time to leave the political scene,” said Colomathi, who has been the councillor for the Spring Mount division of the St James Parish Council since 1986.

At the same time, Colomathi said that he will be spending quality time to rebuild and strengthen the party’s organisation in the constituency.

We wish all the losers well and hope that they will continue to work not only for the good of their parties but for the good of the country.