SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth – Only once has the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) taken the St Elizabeth North Eastern seat.

That was in the ideologically divided election of 1980 when the JLP, led by Edward Seaga, handed the Michael Manley-led PNP its worst defeat of post-independent Jamaica, winning 51 seats to nine.

Such was the devastation for the PNP in 1980; they won just three rural seats – St Mary East Central, St Mary West Central and St Ann South Eastern. Just to underline the extent of that defeat, the PNP lost every seat located west of St Ann along Jamaica’s north coast and likewise, every seat west of Kingston and St Andrew along the island’s south coast.

The PNP has firmly recovered its balance in St Elizabeth North Eastern since 1980. Although the constituency remained in the hands of the JLP following the snap election of 1983, that was a case in which Manley and the PNP declined to contest.

In no election since then has the PNP won St Elizabeth North East by less than a 2,000-vote margin.

Sent in by the JLP less than a month before February 25 to vie with the PNP’s Evon Redman and two independent candidates, consultant psychiatrist Dr Saphire Longmore, a former beauty queen, is hoping to change all that.

She readily declares that she expects to benefit from a much-publicised split within the ranks of the PNP’s constituency organisation related to anger among supporters of ousted former Member of Parliament Raymond Pryce. The latter was replaced by Redman as the PNP’s candidate. But some embittered Pryce supporters have vowed to cast their votes elsewhere.

“Most definitely,” said Longmore, when asked by journalists if she expected to benefit from the PNP’s troubles, following her nomination last week.

“We are welcoming the PNP (supporters)… people are coming to us very upset with what has gone on (in the PNP), people saying we are very upset with what has gone on, the party (PNP) has neglected us…,” she said.

Available evidence suggests that some Pryce supporters have cast their lot with independent candidate Delroy Slowley, another Santa Cruz businessman.

“Inevitably that is happening,” said Slowley, when asked if he was in fact gaining traction among former PNP supporters. Slowley who readily told journalists that his name is not on the voters’ list and that he has only ever voted once, claims to also have the support of some Labourites and “maybe 50 per cent” of undecided voters.

Even Joseph Patterson, also independent, the candidate whose impact has been least felt on the ground indirectly told journalists he has benefited from the PNP split. He claimed to have the support of former PNP mayor of Black River and a former strong Pryce supporter, Daphne Holmes. The latter played a lead role in the bizarre decision last year to take the PNP to court over the party’s handling of candidate selection.

However, a quietly confident Redman who has pledged to gradually “unite” the constituency is predicting that no matter the recent problems he will actually increase the vote majority for the PNP in St Elizabeth North Eastern.

According to him, many Comrades who had previously opposed him are returning to the fold because of party loyalty.

“It’s not so much about me,” Redman told journalists following nomination. “I have done all that I could do by extending the olive branch but PNP people are PNP and when it comes on to election they are going to come on board,” he said.

Backed on Nomination Day by all four divisional leaders mayor of Black River and councillor for Balaclava Everton Fisher, councillors for Siloah and Braes River, Audie Myers and Donovan Pagon as well as caretaker for the Santa Cruz Division Maureen Thompson- Redman said he would be striving to work as part of a team.

“My next move is to continue to work with people on the ground … I am going there (to Parliament) to serve the people of North East St Elizabeth, … to work with my divisional leaders and build a constituency that has been torn apart…,” said Redman.

Issues such as inadequate running water, bad roads, high unemployment and low skill levels are among those candidates have spoken of as priorities.

Redman also pointed to chronic drainage problems in fast-growing Santa Cruz as an issue which must be dealt with as a priority. Santa Cruz is the largest town in the constituency and the commercial centre of St Elizabeth.

Longmore, who has family roots in Balaclava by way of her father and who describes herself as a product of the “soil”, spoke of the untapped agricultural potential of St Elizabeth North Eastern.

“The (superior) quality of produce is bar none internationally,” she said. “There is significant potential in the complex carbohydrates (such as) sweet potato, cassava, yam dasheen, breadfruits… imagine flour from breadfruits, make a dumpling out of it, pasta from breadfruit; there is potential for rice, dairy, not just cattle dairy, goats; citrus, pepper…,” she gushed.