ATTORNEY-AT-LAW Leslie Campbell has been selected by the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Standing Committee to replace veteran member of Parliament Derrick Smith on the party’s Election Commission.

The commission was appointed to oversee the current leadership contest. Campbell was the unsuccessful candidate for the party in East Central St Catherine in 2007.

Smith told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that he has chosen to resign from the committee, so that he can campaign for leader of the Opposition and current JLP leader, Andrew Holness.

“I can’t be sitting on a committee waiting for issues to arise, for me to help resolve them, when I want to be out there in the field campaigning for him,” Smith told the Observer yesterday.

Holness is being challenged by another veteran member of the party, Audley Shaw.

Smith served as minister of national security, before being transferred to mining and energy in the 2007-2011 JLP administration, while Shaw was the minister of finance and the public service.

Since resigning from the commission on Monday, Smith, who has represented North West St Andrew since 1989, has become actively engaged with Holness’ campaign team, which also includes his son, Duane Smith, who represents the Chancery Hall Division in the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation.