Omar Newell realised soon after he joined People’s National Party affiliate, The Patriots, that he wanted to look after the interest of people in the House of Representatives.

It has taken him 14 years since his initial contact with The Patriots in 2009, to make the bold step of positioning himself in one of the lanes, as the days lead up to clean start in that race. And he is doing what he believes it takes to arrive at that manifestation.

Newell has set his eyes on the constituency of his birth and early upbringing — St Mary Central — which is now represented in Parliament by Dr Morais Guy. The medical practitioner, who has spent 21 years as an elected political official, has told the party that he will not seek re-election in the next general election, legally due in 2025.

It is understood that former president of the Senate, and current Opposition senator, Dr Floyd Morris, has also applied to the party to succeed Dr Guy. One party official, who declined to be named in this article, confirmed that Dr Morris had sent in his application. Dr Morris was said to be in Europe when the Jamaica Observer checked on Friday.

What is certain though, is that Newell, like Dr Guy and Dr Morris, a St Mary High School past student, has gone through the preliminaries of applying for the vacancy ahead, and awaits an interview by party officials, in addition to other processes, to determine if his ambition will move closer to reality.

“When I was president of The Patriots I was very much interested in entering representational politics at some point, at the right time. The interest was not as much on politics and representing, as it was on representing my home. I have had opportunities to apply and to represent in other constituencies in by-elections, and I have always felt that what I wanted to do at the time was to support the Member of Parliament and the structures we have in central St Mary and that whenever a vacancy comes up I would prepare myself to apply,” Newell said during a midweek interview with the Sunday Observer.

“When it was announced that Dr Guy would not seek re-election I decided to put in my application. I have built strong genuine connections with the people over the years; I have done significant work in the constituency, both politically and in terms of social transformation. Every time I have had the opportunity to work in youth development, I have brought central St Mary along.

“As director at National Youth Service, many young people from across the constituency and the parish benefited from tertiary support through access to higher education programmes. A lot of young people who graduated and could not get work were placed in private and public sector entities and paid salaries for a year. Some were able to transition into full-time jobs.

“I have done a number of training programmes in collaboration with NYS, HEART and even JCDC, Cobbla in Manchester and some were able to learn events management,” he said.

He revealed that he has supported the reconstruction of the playing field, and donated to the sports department at Port Maria Primary School, while playing a broader role in sport by sponsoring Highgate United and Albion Mountain football clubs.

“Albion Mountain’s home games in the Premier League play-offs last year were paid for by funds that I was able to raise; and the commitment continues,” he continued.

“Lots of equipment have been donated to primary schools — some out of pocket, a lot of it through the generosity of friends. I have been a part of the Hampstead Division for a decade, both in terms of fund-raising for candidates and helping to manage the candidates in that division. So I have been very active and based on the connections I have built over the years, my chances are very good,” Newell said.

In the absence of a confirmation from Dr Morris himself, the Sunday Observer proceeded to ask of Newell if it were practical or realistic for an individual who is blind to seek office as Member of Parliament, considering the many things that one would need to do in order to fulfil the needs of constituents. He, however, suggested that it was not improper for Dr Morris to want to step up from senator to MP.

“Floyd is a strong opponent. In 1998 when I was in fifth form, Floyd became a senator. He would have been a senator for 25 years and Morais would have been in Parliament for 21 years. So Floyd would be the most senior parliamentarian in St Mary.

“One of the things that attracted me to the PNP is that I really believe that we have progressive values. I don’t mention my opponent’s disability at all on the campaign. He is a member of the party; he pays his dues, and has the right to apply. So I try to avoid any discussion on his disability,” was Newell’s response. “I am committed and have committed my team to run a clean campaign because when this election is done, Floyd will be an important part of the future of central St Mary,” Newell added.

As for Dr Guy, now the PNP’s spokesman on health, Newell had nothing but good cheers.

“A major part of Dr Guy’s legacy is about the people who he has built. A lot of young people who otherwise would have had no opportunity to go to further studies were able to do that through the tuition assistance programme that he has. I have done some work on that programme over the years in support of him and with him, and he genuinely believes that education is an antidote against poverty and scores of young people would tell you that they are a part of his legacy.

“Within the political organisation he has also brought in, and facilitated the development of a lot of young people — Chelsea Chin and Christopher Walker, for example.

“He would, at an appropriate time, speak more to what he has done, but that is one of the things that I am extremely proud of in central St Mary, how he has allowed families be transformed.

“Dr Guy and I have a strong relationship. He is the godfather of my son, he is pretty close to my family. He and my wife are colleagues in medicine, he checks up on her and her advanced studies from time to time; and in the constituency setup, I am the vice-chairman in charge of outreach,” Newell said.

It wasn’t a smooth ride from birth at Port Maria Hospital for the political aspirant, having to move around St Mary communities of Albion Mountain, Islington and Highgate, all in the central region, as his parents were not well off. But his early education at Water Valley Primary in Islington, Highgate Primary and Junior High, where he passed the Common Entrance Examination in grade five to enter St Mary High, laid a solid platform for his future.

His determination to digest knowledge saw him earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Monroe College in New York, USA; and a law degree from Northwestern University School of Law, also in the USA.

Newell is currently CEO of a distributing company.