CLARENDON, Jamaica — People’s National Party (PNP) candidate for the hotly contested Mocho Division in Clarendon Northern, Romaine Morris says for him, it’s all about the people.

“I’ve just voted for the people. The people come first. I’ve a contract with the people. I just renewed the contract, and the people are in the process of renewing the contract with me. As I’ve said before over and over, politics aside, the people come first. And that’s first and foremost. Some people get caught up in the whole politics and forget about the people,” said the man who walked away from one party to contest the polls for its main rival.

Morris won the division for the JLP in 2016 but crossed the floor to the People’s National Party on January 12 of this year.

“The job of a politician is to always represent the people, no matter what, and that’s my job. That’s what I continue to do. And that’s why we have the support here today, from both sides. Something that never normally happens here in the Mocho Division, and today we have it,” he emphasised.

He said many undecided voters are giving support to the PNP as well.

“The 40 per cent block that are from the no-views are coming over as well to support me, and I feel elated and happy about it, to know that we have the support of the people. So we expect a victory today,” he noted.

However, Morris expressed concern about what he said appears to be attempts at intimidation at some polling stations.

“We have some reports of some incidents. We have an indoor agent that normally works with the labour party. She decide to cross over. Somebody report to the electoral office that she want to crossover, that she wants to do a transfer of her vote. And that’s a tactic. We have about three persons that that has happened to; three cross-over persons that follows me, that support me; not necessarily PNP, but they are supporting Romaine,” he said.

“These persons, when they reach at the poll to vote, their names were crossed out and said they applied for transfer. I don’t know, but that might be a tactics. That is something we have to take up with the electoral office and see how best we can sort it out,” he explained.

For now, his focus is on the bigger picture. Morris says his support comes from a wide demographic.

“We have a mixture of youth and elderly persons… the parents are supporting, the grandparents are supporting. Funny enough, you have some persons I thought we were die-hearted Labourites, and they are out here saying, ‘Hey, Romaine, you did the work already, we’re supporting [you].’ They are not going to take any chance with somebody else that they are gonna just come and make promises,” he said confidently.

The incumbent Morris is being challenged for the division by the JLP’s Clement “John” Alves.

–   Oneil Madden