TRELAWNY, Jamaica — “It’s never over until the fat lady sings.  So until the votes are counted I can’t tell you whether he has won, or I have won and he has lost,” was the sanguine response from Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate for Trelawny Southern, Marisa ‘Mama D’ Dalrymple-Philibert when asked for an assessment of how she will do in today’s by-election.

She was speaking with the media in the constituency that she has won four times.

Dalrymple-Philibert said despite the low voter turnout she was heartened by the strong showing by JLP supporters from the farming community. On a typical Friday, they would have been selling their produce across the country, she said.

JLP supporters at the Warsop Primary School polling station on Friday. (Photo: Horace Hines)

Dalrymple-Philibert also continued her harsh criticism of her opponent Lloyd ‘Mozy’ Gillings’ decision to run as an Independent despite his strong ties to the People’s National Party (PNP).

“He came in Independent but he’s driving around with people who are dressed in orange. And as far as I know, for the last four election cycles, including the one that finished the other day, he was real PNP.  And the people he has been advertising with, and walking up and down with, and campaigning with are all PNP,” Dalrymple-Philibert told reporters.

She claimed that Paul Patmore, the PNP’s standard bearer for the constituency, is among those seen alongside Gillings on the campaigning trail.

“They are going up and down together. So I am very confident that the Jamaica Labour Party is in fact in an election where we are contesting with the People’s National Party,” Dalrymple-Philibert said.

“I hear some of the People’s National Party cry out dishonesty and so forth but it’s really dishonest to say you are [not] contesting an election but in fact it is exactly what you are doing. But the voice of the people always will speak,” she added.

The PNP opted not to contest today’s two by-elections for parliamentary seats in Trelawny Southern and St Andrew North Western, but has fielded candidates for the two local government divisions — Aenon Town in Clarendon and Morant Bay in St Thomas.

— Horace Hines