ALBERT TOWN, Trelawny — The Jamaica Labour Party’s Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, affectionately called “Mama D”, has been declared the winner in the Trelawny Southern by-election, defeating Independent candidate Lloyd “Mozy” Gillings.

Preliminary count shows Dalrymple-Philibert polling 4,146 votes to Gillings’s 1,434.

A thankful Dalrymple-Philibert, enthused to return to the helm of the constituency, said now that she has won she will represent all members of the constituency.

“All of us cannot support the same party, and when an election is over we are all Jamaican citizens, and here in south Trelawny I treat everybody as a Jamaican. In campaigning I am in my green, and when the campaign is over I serve all the tax payers that are in this place,” she said.

At the same time, she served warning to Paul Patmore, who will be the People’s National Party’s (PNP) candidate in the next general election, due by September 2025.

“I have news for the gentleman that comes for the general election. Today is just a snapshot of what is to come,” Dalrymple-Philibert quipped.

“I think I did great,” Gillings said. “I am a son of the soil. I will be here and I will always stick with the people,” he added.

The by-election became necessary after Dalrymple-Philibert stepped aside as Speaker of the House and MP in September 2023 after a ruling by the Integrity Commission’s Director of Corruption Prosecution Keisha Prince-Kameka that she be charged for running afoul of the Parliament (Integrity of Members) Act, 1973, in filing her statutory declarations.

She will return to court in early December.

Gillings contended that Dalrymple-Philibert should not have been allowed to contest the seat with the court matter pending.

“I think it is unreasonable for her to walk out of the seat, resigned and want to walk back into the seat. That is not right. She should wait until her court case is over so that Jamaica can see that she is clear. What if tomorrow [the case is not in her favour], what would be the outcome? I would like to know.”

On Nomination Day, Dalrymple-Philibert explained that she decided to once again offer herself to represent Trelawny Southern in response to calls from constituents she has been representing since 2007.

On Friday, 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.

“I am very encouraged and I say that because, as I have been saying, we are a farming community and life has to go on; people have their bills to pay, so on Thursday evening people left the community as usual in several trucks and vans to travel out to other areas in Jamaica so that they can sell their produce and look after their families. So a large percentage of our population is not here today. Additionally, it is a normal working day for teachers and some people have to take their children to school and they have pick them up. It’s a difficult day,” she explained.

“Additionally, it’s not a national voting day so there is not that energy all over the island that encourages people to go to polling stations,” she added.

Dalrymple-Philibert also continued her harsh criticism of her opponent’s decision to run as an independent despite his strong ties to the 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 walking up and down with and campaigning with are all PNP,” Dalrymple-Philibert told reporters Friday.

She claimed that Paul Patmore, the PNP’s standard-bearer in the constituency, was 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.

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JLP General Secretary Dr Horace Chang (centre) makes a point to Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert in Albert Town before the counting of ballots, Friday. (Horace Hines)