RESIDENTS of St Andrew North Western, while clamouring for many of the same things as other Jamaicans across the island’s 63 constituencies — better roads, and jobs — say they want to be fully engaged by whomever becomes their next Member of Parliament (MP) on March 5.

The constituency has been represented by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) for the the past 29 years, but the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) is not counting itself out,with the selection of educator Keisha Hayle to go up against the JLP’s Dr Nigel Clarke.

The seat was previously held by former JLP MP Derrick Smith for close to three decades.

The Jamaica Observer visited the constituency earlier this month following the announcement of the election date by Prime Minister Andrew Holness and spoke with residents.

“Mi tink the politician dem need to have, on a regular basis, a meeting with people to hear the people dem grouse; like a community meeting. Even if the politician himself can’t come he can have somebody to represent him to hear what’s happening in the community, and what they can do to uplift the community… What about me who nuh really run down politics? So dem need fi find we,” said Carolyn Charlton a shopkeeper in Maverley, which is one of the rougher areas of the constituency.

She said, as an elector, she is not looking for individual assistance, but wants to see her community enhanced, pointing out that too many youth in the area are unemployed and lack positive motivation to steer them towards more gainful lifestyles. “But nobody is doing that. Yeah, they will fix the roads and whatever, but apart from that you nuh see them again…maybe they only have their friends who they smoke with, so nobody is there to motivate them. If they don’t see anybody to motivate them, then dem won’t see a need to really do it,” she said.

One of the young men in the community, Collie Smith, said he has never voted but wants his political representative to assist him with fulfilling his desire of becoming an entrepreneur.

“Mi nuh want no money. Mi just want a tyre machine and a compressor. Mi nah sell mi vote. Mi a give mi vote fi life. Mi want a business,” he said, arguing that everybody should receive the same level of assistance in the constituency.

Steve Hunter, a 44-year-old labourer also of Maverley, who said has been voting since he was 18 years old, warned against what he sees as “selling of vote”, however. “Mi nuh want yuh give me nutt’n. Yuh suppose to give me benefits…mi don’t want you come to me and give me your money,” he said, pointing out that when his political party of choice is in power, there are better opportunities for small business owners to thrive. Hunter said that while he is satisfied with the state of his community, crime, however, remains an issue.

Fifty-year-old Seibert Latty, a former security officer, echoed Charlton’s concerns about the number of young people left idle.

“Too many little youths ’bout here who finish school and nah work. If you check most of the roads, streets or avenues in Maverley, a lot of young youth just deh here. If them did learn a trade we wouldn’t have so many of them. Mi think more could be done,” he stated.

Latty added that he too wants to see more of his MP. “Mi wouldn’t say him come through a lot; him come through now and then.”

The resident said Clarke, though a newcomer, is a justified candidate for St Andrew North Western. “A politics this enuh. If it was Duane (Smith) it would be a winning MP, but him wouldn’t get no portfolio. This man winning likely to get a portfolio, and then also him is an advisor to the prime minister, so it’s a wise selection…Mi expect him fi fill the gap that the other MP left and improve on the situation,” he said.

He is quick to add, though, that nothing is to be taken away from long-standing MP Derrick Smith, who resigned in January.

Evadne Lunan was staunch in her defence of the elder Smith’s legacy and the selection of Clarke.

“Wi nuh want nobody feel like seh Derrick Smith no do nothing. Wi nuh want dem feel like we and Derrick Smith in any problems. Is a good man…and we still alongside him. We a gravitate towards a younger man, a man with vision, a man weh we feel like can do well in the community. Where Derrick Smith left off he’s going to just pick up from there so and carry on,” she insisted.

“We need somebody who we can put in the field and said, put on your running shoes because we going on the track. We have to train him (Duane). The train wah di boss train him is inner training. Him need some outdoor training,” she said.

Lunan was refering to public discussions in which outing MP Derrick Smith said he wished his son to be given the opportunity to replace him in the seat.

She added that Clarke, despite being new to representational politics, is the man for the job: “We need to put him up front – remember him a di boss advisor. Him already know what him doing.”

“Boozy”, of Sherlock Crescent, another of the tougher areas within the constituency, made it clear who he supports by his armband and the poster of Smith propped against a tree in front of his shop. But he said the community is willing to “work wid di boss”.

“Wi nuh waan mash up dem ting. A dun Labourite, so we will work wid what dem want,” he remarked.

Pembroke Hall-based mechanic Winston Walker said he stays away from politics but wants to see better roads in the community. He said he is not concerned with representation, and that he has no knowledge of any of the candidates on either side.

Horton Rickets, also of Pembroke Hall, pointed to the state of the roads and complained of the ‘scarceness’ of political representatives in the community.

“Mi nuh too see dem until it coming near to these things (elections). The roads want to fix… Plenty of the road dem bad, bad. Only when dem want vote wi see dem come around,” he said, adding that he votes in every election.

“If me a vote a muss PNP me a vote…none a dem no better than none still, but to me, certain things wah me see Labourite do, PNP don’t do it,” he said.

He is also of the view that MPs should reside within the communities that they represent. “So that when the people dem bawl dem know what the people a bawl fah. When yuh uptown and when time to vote you come down is like a use you a use wi”.

Clarke and Hayle will go head to head on March 5. Hayle has pledged to address the social, economic, political, and infrastructural needs of the constituency, while Clarke has said that politics offers a unique opportunity to do “the greatest good for the greatest number of people”.