Dear Editor,

I would like to congratulate Mayor Desmond McKenzie of the Jamaica Labour Party and Mr Earl Dawkins of the People’s National Party for being selected to represent their respective parties in the coming general election.

Mr McKenzie and Mr Dawkins, like myself, are all products of Western Kingston, having being born, bred and schooled in the constituency in our formative years (St Anne’s Primary and All Saints All-Age schools). I wish them both happy hunting.

The constituency of Kingston Western has been a JLP safe seat since Edward Phillip George Seaga first won in 1967.

The PNP last fielded two high-profile candidates in Mr Dudley Thompson and Mr John Maxwell who were both unsuccessful. Since that time the PNP has entered a candidate in order to contest all seats.

This is the second outing for Mayor McKenzie, who lost to Dr Omar Davies in South West St Andrew.

Dependent on how the districts of Denham Town, Tivoli Gardens and Fletcher’s Land view the joint police/military incursion into Tivoli Gardens last year, Mayor McKenzie should win handsomely. However, the race is never finished until a winner is declared.

Good luck to my friend and former schoolmate, Earl Dawkins.

The constituency of Western Kingston through local and central government representation has produced one National Hero, Sir Alexander Bustamante, and four prime ministers, Sir Alexander, Hugh Shearer, Edward Seaga and Bruce Golding.

Let us make it a violence-free election: one man, one vote, one man, same vote.

Joseph M Cornwall (Snr)

Kingston

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