ULSTER SPRING, Trelawny — An ex-cop who said he did a lot of work, behind the scenes, with former Member of Parliament for Trelawny Southern Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert has now emerged from her shadow and thrown his hat in the ring.

Liston Wauchope is hoping the goodwill he has built up over the years will be enough to bring home the Ulster Spring Division for the Jamaica Labour Party on Monday.

A vital plank of his campaign is a commitment to being a strong advocate for farmers in the country’s yam capital. He is adamant that they should enjoy a pension scheme similar to the one in place for tourism workers.

“I have been one of the voices calling for insurance for our farmers because farmers do not have a pension after they would have worked all these years. They need intervention from Government to assist them with that, so that is something that I would also be raising to see how our farmers can benefit… Some kind of consideration can be reached towards assisting our farmers with pension when they would have reached the age where they can no longer work,” Wauchope told the Jamaica Observer.

The native of south Trelawny also said that, if given a chance, he will ensure that elderly residents in the farming communities of the division and surrounding areas access benefits to which they are entitled.

“There are a lot of elderly folks who are not benefiting from the welfare programmes of the Government, and they are not receiving a pension either. I will work to get these people registered so that they can receive some of these benefits,” he said.

Wauchope, who was a cop for almost 20 years, had been assigned to Dalrymple-Philibert’s protective detail. He believes it will not be difficult for him to transition from serving in the Jamaica Constabulary Force to being an elected representative.

“I have the elements of serving, and I have been serving in the capacity as a member of the JCF for 19 and a half years. Since 2012 I have been assigned to the former Member of Parliament for Trelawny Southern. I have also been exposed to an even wider range of service in the various communities of South Trelawny. It has always been about giving service to the people., therefore I will only be serving on a broader scale,” he said.

“I would say, inadvertently, I was being prepared because I was aiding the residents in not only Ulster Spring but South Trelawny. They are familiar with me and I am the person they would reach out to at times to bring their views and issues. I, mysel, have brought many views to the Member of Parliament which she would have acted upon and bring the service to the community so it would be safe to say I would have been playing that role of providing service. I want it to be very clear that it is about giving of oneself to the people,” he added.

He also believes the police force has been preparing him for this foray into politics.

“The JCF has been family to me. It has given me the courage, the exposure, and it has built me, therefore I know that I will be taking a lot of the things that I have garnered from the JCF to assist me as I go through the various communities because with the JCF, as it is with the political arena, we operate beyond the remit expected. We are expected to be caregivers, we are parents, we are everything that is expected for the people who we serve so the JCF would have already prepped me. It will be easy for me to continue dealing with those issues that would have come outside of the realm to serve and protect. People come to you about anything,” the ex-cop stated.

In order to secure a place in the Trelawny Municipal Corporation, Wauchope first has to accumulate more votes than fellow newcomer Andre Ennis of the People’s National Party (PNP). The seat has been held by the PNP’s Dr Pauline Foster since 2012 but she will not be seeking re-election.

Wauchope is confident that he will win. His conviction is based on the response he has been getting on the campaign trail.

“The feedback is very, very positive, really good. And the truth is that the people would have known me; I have been around them for more than a decade so they have known me. I also would have assisted along the way with so many things. They are comfortable with me,” he said.

“I am the servant of the people and I will be working. I will be very visible and also very accessible. I will not be able to address all the issues that arise and that are present there but I will communicate with the people. I will be showing care, I will be showing understanding, and I will continue to champion work on their behalf to see how best we can resolve some of these issues,” he promised.