NEWLY re-elected chairman of the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Area Council 2, Everald Warmington, has pledged full support for Opposition Leader Andrew Holness to lead the party into the next general election.

Warmington made the pledge after overwhelming his rival, former councillor for the Ginger Ridge division of St Catherine West Central, Hyman Smith, by 89 votes to 17, in the only balloting at the day-long annual conference of the JLP’s Area Council 2 (Portland, St Catherine, St Mary and St Thomas) in Old Harbour on Sunday.

Warmington’s convincing victory signalled strong support for Holness in the area council, and followed a tour of his home parish, St Catherine, days before the conference.

Key JLP members of Parliament (MPs) in St Catherine — Olivia “Babsy” Grange (Central St Catherine), Warmington (South West St Catherine) and Dr Andrew Wheatley (South Central St Catherine) — are also strong supporters of Holness.

“I am committed to the cause to ensure that Andrew Michael Holness is the next prime minister of Jamaica,” Warmington told the crowd of JLP supporters, who waited several hours to hear from the Opposition leader and visiting MP, Pearnel Charles (North Central Clarendon).

“I am dedicated to him, the people of South Western St Catherine are dedicated to him: We live for him, we will not forsake him, we will not betray him,” Warmington said in an emotionally charged speech.

He said that while the area council was committed to returning Holness to Jamaica House, it was necessary to win a plurality of the seats to succeed. However, he insisted that “no expense, no amount of work and no task” would prevent the area council from succeeding.

He said that its first target must be to retain control of the four parish councils in their area. He admitted that there are issues within the party, but insisted that its supporters in the field were not daunted by the challenges.

“My position is, if you can’t co-exist with the leader, one must go and one must stay. Two bulls can’t reign in a one pen, and we have decided that Andrew Michael Holness is the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party,” Warmington stated.

He suggested that people who are to contest the election on behalf of the party, but did not feel comfortable working with Holness, should step aside and leave the seat to those who are committed to the party and the leader.

The Area Council 2 was split between supporters of finance spokesman Audley Shaw and Holness during the 2013 leadership battle between both men. It is currently led by JLP deputy leader, James Robertson, who supported Shaw, but chaired by Warmington.

Meanwhile, former deputy leader Charles, also gave full support to Holness.

“We have the most popular leader in Jamaica, why would we want to give up him for someone else?” Charles asked the crowd, referring to recent media polls showing Holness ahead of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller.

Grange called on the Labourites to remain focused and not be distracted by “backbiting”, as the priority of the party is to remove the People’s National Party from office, and replace it with a government more dedicated to the needs of the people.

“There are individuals who cannot accept that this little youth from Spanish Town is leading the Jamaica Labour Party,” Grange pointed out. However, she said that his supporters are determined to see him return to Jamaica House and would be working full-time to ensure his victory.

— Balford Henry