JOHNS HALL, St James — People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding says the party will, at the appropriate time, reveal who has been selected to represent it in Hanover Eastern in the next general election.

“I don’t want to discuss that yet. You will hear in due course,” Golding told journalists following a spot meeting at Johns Hall in St James East Central on Wednesday.

He was responding to queries about the party’s decision to sideline Craig Oates, the lone applicant to represent the PNP in Hanover Eastern.

Oates was informed in a letter dated November 16 by the party’s General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell that a recent Don Anderson poll indicated that he was not in good political standing within the constituency.

“A party being run by a poll — a poll that Dr Dayton Campbell did not do to go down to Eastern Westmoreland; a poll that if the party was following its own example, Mark Golding, the leader of the party at 20 per cent, would not be running. Damion Crawford and Lisa Hanna are way ahead. But, that is a different matter. I am just speaking about the hypocrisy,” stated the former police detective.

However, Golding said Oates’ performance was found wanting.

“He was given an opportunity to establish that he could win the seat and we weren’t happy with his performance during that period and we have to say, he can’t be a candidate,” stated Golding.

“There are no hard feelings from our perspective but we just have to make the best decisions going into the next election and make sure that we have the best possible candidate there. And unfortunately, Craig, he just was unable to,” added Golding.

The Hanover Eastern seat is currently held by the Jamaica Labour Party’s Dave Brown. He first won it in 2016 and again in 2020.

Meanwhile, Golding also confirmed that the party had settled on its parliamentary candidate for Hanover Western, attorney-at-law Heatha Miller Bennett, who was given the nod in an internal selection process in October.

— Anthony Lewis