ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica – Businessman Delroy ‘Gairy’ Slowley who has come forward as an aspiring Independent Candidate in St Elizabeth North Eastern whenever parliamentary elections are called says he is not interested in “being a politician”.

Instead, he says, he wants to be the “people’s representative” in St Elizabeth North Eastern and to be part of a “movement”, a “wind of change” that will bring good, people-centred governance to the constituency and eventually, wider Jamaica.

“If you are looking for a politician you can pack your bag and go. For me it’s about representing the people…,” Slowley told enthusiastic supporters in a packed classroom at the Leeds Primary School, three miles south of Santa Cruz on Sunday night.

In terms of representation, Slowley  — who is using the slogan ‘People Power’ and a symbol of arms crossed across the chest described as representative of peace and love —  said his ambition was to adequately represent all constituents, not just “a selected few”.

“I am talking about the JLP (opposition Jamaica Labour Party supporters), I am talking about the PNP (ruling People’s National Party supporters) and I am talking about no P at all…,” declared Slowley.

He described himself as “a community person, a people person, I have people’s interest at heart…”

Many of those at the meeting were recognised as being up to very recently PNP supporters – some supportive of St Elizabeth North Eastern’s Member of Parliament Raymond Pryce. The latter has been replaced as the PNP’s standard bearer ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections by Santa Cruz businessman, Evon Redman.  

Among those previously supportive of Pryce was former PNP divisional head for Santa Cruz, Angela Forbes who urged her audience to “Let your voice be heard, when the trumpet sound, I want you to make sure that Mr Slowley will be rejoicing in Parliament”.

Forbes who was introduced to the audience as “councillor in waiting” lost a parish council contest for the Santa Cruz Division to the JLP’s Stallyn Brown in 2007. She spoke of her personal pain as a result of the current circumstances.   

“If ever I am hurt, I am telling you this is one of the hardest things for me to do, to go against my party but I am looking for somebody to represent me and my children and my children’s children,” she said.

In an interview after the meeting, Slowley insisted he entertained no political affiliation.

“Let me tell you sir, I have never been a part of any political party neither in Jamaica nor anywhere else,” Slowley told OBSERVER ONLINE.

“I am not a part of the PNP and I am not part of the JLP,” he said.

He suggested that his attempt at representational politics was largely motivated by a desire to bring greater levels of transparency and integrity to governance.

“We must agree that we need to have certain levels of transparency, we must agree that there needs to be more people of integrity at leadership level in Jamaica,” he told OBSERVER ONLINE.

 “We need to understand that the perception of corruption is extremely high with persons who represent us and so we need to have some amount of transparency; so even the perception of it (corruption) can be removed because you and I will agree that sometimes perception is even greater than the truth,” Slowley added.

Themes of people representation and anti-corruption were emphasised during his address to supporters.

“I stand to be guided by the people of my community, by the people that I am putting myself to serve,” Slowley said.  

“We need for the people representing us to be transparent, we need people who are representing us to come with a certain level of morals and scruples, we need to have people that we can connect with, people that understand the issues of the people, we need to have someone that is from among the people. Somebody who is an advocate on behalf of the people because at the end of the day its all about the people,” he said.

Against a backdrop of the unlawful blocking of roads allegedly by Pryce supporters and fallout from reported disorderly conduct during a visit to PNP headquarters in Kingston earlier this month, Slowley emphasised that he was for orderly and respectful conduct at all times.

The intent he said was for his supporters to make their point at the ballot box.

“We not going to be demonstrating on the roadways, we going to be demonstrating with our fingers (voting). We not in any fight, no way, we are going to conduct ourselves in a respectful way, orderly way, in a principled way. We are going to demonstrate to the powers that be, that the people’s voice makes a difference,” Slowley said.

He spoke of plans to lead community action in helping themselves including “cleaning up” the bustling, commercial centre of Santa Cruz. 

Slowley’s entrance to the politics of St Elizabeth North Eastern follows that of accountant Joseph Patterson representing the so-called United Independents’ Congress.

Garfield Myers