In case you were unaware, Portland is ‘Vaz land’.

That’s the declaration made by Member of Parliament (MP) for Portland Western, the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Daryl Vaz. He made his position known on Sunday as he addressed the JLP’s 81st annual conference at the National Arena in St Andrew.

Significantly, Vaz’s wife Annmarie is the MP for the adjoining constituency of Portland Eastern.

Vaz’s comments follow the recent announcement by the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) that attorney-at-law Isat Buchanan will contest East Portland on behalf of the party. There was immediate talk that he could win the seat for the PNP but Vaz is having none of it.

“I hear all kind of rumours and other things about Portland, that dem ago bruk di Vaz. The only Vaz that I see bruk inna politics is not Annmarie Vaz and is not Daryl Vaz, is Dwayne Vaz inna 2020 when wi give him a backsiding,” he remarked.

The PNP’s Dwayne Vaz lost the Central Westmoreland seat to the JLP’s George Wright in 2020, the first time in decades that the PNP was losing the seat.

“I have one thing to say to conference and to Jamaica and to my Prime Minister (Dr Andrew Holness) and colleagues. Dem talk about ‘Vazism’ and what ‘Vazism’ means. [It means] Portland is Vaz land, argument done,” Vaz declared.

Throughout his speech, Vaz consistently accused the PNP of bad mind while pointing out the achievements of the JLP since it formed the Government in 2016. He argued that the record of the Holness Administration is reason enough for the party to be given a third term in office.

Vaz also stated that the JLP boasts a better Cabinet than the PNP could put together and a better slate of current MPs and candidates for the upcoming election.