Dear Editor,

This letter is in response to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP)-leaning columnist Garfield Higgins, where The Agenda column on Sunday, December 29, 2019 in the Jamaica Observer was entitled ‘For the record: The writing is already on the wall’.

In the article he predicts an April 2020 General Election. He also predicts the JLP winning 40 seats, but his most controversial statement is that he had Rudyard Spencer, the current Member of Parliament for Clarendon South Eastern and deputy leader of Area Council Three losing his seat, with J C Hutchinson, the Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth North Western and deputy leader of Area Council Four also losing.

He also had Frank Witter losing his seat in the Lower House, but while I believe Frank Witter’s seat is in the top five weakest JLP seats, it doesn’t mean he’ll lose.

The other top-four weakest JLP-held seats are: St James West Central with Marlene Malahoo Forte, Clarendon South Eastern if the candidate is Rudyard Spencer, Hanover Eastern with Dave Brown, and Clarendon North Central if the candidate is Robert Nesta Morgan.

Clarendon South Eastern and St Elizabeth North Western have a rich history of being loyal to the JLP, hence winning a general election and losing those seats will dampen mainly Labourites’ morale.

So, in order to be in the safer seat, the reactive General Secretary Horace Chang should be proactive and save those seats by injecting new candidates. We can’t allow lazy Members of Parliament to cost us those two seats with rich JLP tradition.

Pearnel Charles Jr should be sent to Clarendon South Eastern and Floyd Green should be transferred to St Elizabeth North Western to save that seat — a replacement can easily be found to replace him in St Elizabeth South Western.

I don’t see an April election; I see one in May. Also I don’t agree with Higgins who said the People’s National Party will lose Clarendon South Western with Noel Arscott, who will be replaced by Lothan Cousins; and St Catherine North Western with Robert Pickersgill, who will be replaced by Hugh Graham.

I do believe we do have a chance in defeating these eight People’s National Party candidates: Colin Fagan, Dr Walton Small, Fenton Ferguson, Dayton Campbell, Victor Wright, Richard Azan, Horace Dalley, and Ian Hayles.

Teddylee Gray

Ocho Rios, St Ann

teddylee.gray @gmail.com