Some Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supporters in St Andrew North Central staged a protest on Monday voicing disagreement with what they believe is a plot by the leadership of the party to force a candidate on them for the next general election.

The protest came a day after the party announced that Delano Seiveright and Christian Tavares-Finson, who had an interest in replacing veteran politician Karl Samuda, the current Member of Parliament (MP), had withdrawn their applications to be selected as the JLP candidate for the seat.

Samuda, who has been MP for the constituency since 1980, is now 83 years old and has signalled that he does not intend to contest the next election due by September this year.

While the JLP secretariat tries to settle the matter, Labourites who support Seiveright are calling on Prime Minister and JLP Leader Dr Andrew Holness not to ignore their wish that Seiveright be selected as the candidate.

One man, who gave his name as Micheal Dennis, said that the current turmoil over who should take over from Samuda has caused him not to have any confidence in JLP General Secretary Dr Horace Chang.

“I went to [JLP headquarters on] Belmont Road last week Monday and Dr Chang told me that there was not going to be a run off. He said there would be a meeting and Delano would be there and other people from the hierarchy of the JLP would be there and we would know who was selected,” Dennis said.

“Why have a delegate system to make a selection and you want to go around the delegate system? All Dr Chang wants to do is parachute somebody on us overnight. Without Delano Seiveright, there will be no vote. It is not acceptable. Mr Samuda has nothing to do with what is going on. We are reaching out to the prime minister and Dr Chang. We didn’t know we would reach to this. The prime minister needs to come and tell us what is going on,” Dennis said.

One woman insisted that if Samuda plans to step down, Seiveright is their pick.

“If Mr Samuda is stepping down, we accept it and we respect the time he has spent in the constituency serving us. He served us gracefully and diligently. If he is stepping down, we are asking Mr Holness to give us somebody we accept. We accept Delano, so give us Delano. Don’t give us who we don’t want. Samuda is our MP and we lift our hats off to him. He has done enough. He has been in politics from the 1980s,” the woman said, explaining that the protest was organised because they feel that Tavares-Finson is going to get the green light to take over from Samuda.

“We want a meeting with the prime minister. He will see this and see that we want a meeting with him,” she added.

Another woman blurted out, “A Delano we want!”

One man was of the opinion that Samuda had done a very good job as MP, but it was now time to pass the baton to a younger man.

One woman explained that the people do not want a representative who they only see sometimes.

“If Samuda is stepping down, give it to somebody who can represent the constituency good. We don’t want anyone who we see today when it’s election and then we don’t see them back until the next election day,” she said.

The JLP held a crucial Central Executive Committee meeting on Sunday at its Belmont Road headquarters to discuss the controversial matter.

In its statement confirming that Seiveright and Tavares-Finson have withdrawn their applications, the JLP said the decision will be left to the secretariat “to conduct a consultation with key stakeholders, including the executive and workers of St Andrew North Central, in the coming weeks as it restarts the process of finalising a candidate”.

The party said the central executive accepted the decision of both men and noted that they are valued members of the JLP.

“Both Senator Seiveright and Mr Tavares-Finson further committed to having their supporters respect the party’s rules and regulations and to act in the interest of party unity,” the JLP said, adding that Samuda remains chairman of the constituency during the process of finalising a candidate.