Chistopher Henry was on Sunday introduced as the People’s National Party (PNP) standard-bearer for St Andrew North Central.

Speaking at a party meeting at the Calabar High School in St Andrew, Henry, an attorney-at-law, questioned the level of representation provided to constituents by current Member of Parliament Karl Samuda – who has been in the seat since 1980 – who he has vowed to unseat.

“Nineteen-eighty until now, for 43 years Karl Samuda has been your Member of Parliament and what has he done? The people of Cassava Piece live in filth, the people of Hundred Lane don’t have no rod. The people of White Hall Avenue have to be playing hopscotch because the potholes them big like from here so to the end of the block. Even the people weh claim seh them vote for him, they are suffering because he gives them no representation,” said Henry.

“Time come to bring back North Central into the PNP’s column. If you know a little history, this constituency actually began with the People’s National Party and somewhere along the line it went JLP. For decades it has been under Mr Samuda and for some reason it hasn’t come back but I am here tonight to say that it [the constituency] will return. I want to tell comrades tonight that I am your representative, I am the servant of the people. I coming to siddung on your verandah, I coming to siddung by the gully-side, I coming to siddung in the lane and play two dominos, drink two juice,” he added.

Henry further shared that among his plans for the constituency include, regularising garbage collection in the area, reopening the community centre and helping constituents to access skills training.

In endorsing Henry’s candidacy, PNP President Mark Golding described the young attorney as a person with strong principles who shares the values of the party, namely its commitment to equality in access to opportunities and social justice.

Golding went on to laud Henry for his recent work surrounding the Haitian migrants who arrived on Jamaica’s shores.

“He set out a series of proposals as to how the government ought to go about dealing with these people; extremely vulnerable people who arrived here with just the shirts on their backs. And who were greeted warmly by the people of the local community where they arrived. But how did the Jamaican state deal with those people? It took them to court, it prosecuted them, it fined them $7,000 each or term of imprisonment if they don’t pay,” Golding said.

“It was Christopher Henry who led the charge, with the first release, and brought this matter into the public domain in terms of what international standard human rights require. I say hail the man,” added Golding

Henry is a partner at Grant, Henry and Rhooms law firm.