ST JAMES, Jamaica – Even though he proclaimed that he was not in attendance at the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLPs) St James Central workers meeting in the capacity of an entertainer, reggae singer Mr Vegas whipped party supporters into a frenzy with his smash hit, I am Blessed, Sunday evening.

Mr Vegas, whose given name is Clifford Smith, although not calling his name, was seemingly directing lyrics of the song at the Opposition People’s National Party’s (PNPs) Isat Buchanan.

“Labourites I heard a two-time convicted drug dealer turn politician say I must stay out of politics because when I speak ‘bout politics, me no competent, he said before reeling off lyrics to “I am Blessed”.

The green clad, bell ringing supporters, who crammed the Montego Bay High School auditorium, again erupted into wild cheers when Vegas who, throwing his full endorsement for St James Central Member of Parliament, the JLP’s Heroy Clarke and the JLP, for a third term, suggested in a spontaneous line that the party would be celebrating victory after next general elections, constitutionally due by September this year.

“Shower me Labourite friends, one more term pon dem. Heroy first them again,” he sung, to wild celebrations from the Labourites.

Vegas also took jabs at current PNP president Mark Golding and former president PJ Patterson.

He suggested that Golding cannot be trusted. He declared that the opposition leader should not be given any chance to become prime minister.

“Dem a beg to give him a chance. What comes to my mind when I hear a chance, they think its Christmas when we a pick balloon. This is not a joke thing! We cannot give a chance to somebody who lies to us about everything. If a man lies about where he comes from, he will lie to you about everything. The man looked in our eyes and told us he has a British passport and he got a British visa. How you add up that?” the “Heads High” singer asked.

“The man takes us for fools, the man takes us for idiots but we have something for him. When the doorbell ring and the gate fly we will be marching on to victory,” he added.

Vegas also argued that the PNP leader recently came under pressure and had to seek the assistance from former leader, Patterson.

“We need somebody with a steady hand. Somebody that can manage the thing. You don’t need somebody that when pressure takes him, he has to send for PJ Patterson,” Vegas said.

“When I saw them put up the flyer to say they are set the record straight I thought PJ was going come and apologise to the Jamaican people; I thought PJ Patterson was going to come and beg you for forgiveness. After all, it was under PJ Patterson where we lost over 40,000 business, where the rich got richer off the backs of the poor people while the homeless people here in Montego Bay, St James were scraped up and carried off to St Elizabeth to dump,” he added.

He told the gathering, which included JLP stalwarts such as Security Minister Dr Horace Chang, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte, Minister of state in the Ministry of Growth and Job Creation, Homer Davis, Montego Bay mayor Councillor Richard Vernon, Senator Charles Sinclair, among others on the podium, that one of the things that prompted his decision to support the JLP was his childhood experience of the “marrying” of food items by shopkeepers during a previous PNP Administration.

“There are so many reasons for me to say Labourite but let me give you a little back history. As a little youth when my parents sent me to shop one day to buy some rice and I went to shop and the shopkeeper say to me, I have to buy soap with the rice, that stick in my brain from those times,” he explained.

“We have survived the days under PNPism, we have survived the days when rice and flour were married, we have survived the days when people put ideology above and before diplomacy,” he added.

Meanwhile, MP Clarke, who is also the Deputy House Speaker and Bartlett, told the supporters that St James needs the Holness-led party to gain a third term to complete among other things, housing projects now underway and others planned.

– Horace Hines