MANDEVILLE, Manchester — The battle for the Manchester North Eastern constituency continues to intensify, with People’s National Party (PNP) aspirant Valenton “Val” Wint claiming that there is a “wind of change” across in the constituency.

His comment follows last week’s entry of Senator Audrey Marks as the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) aspirant seeking to replace veteran politician Audley “Man a Yaad” Shaw who has held the seat since 1993.

“We up in North East Manchester, we are feeling a wind of change. It is not today that we start to pursue that constituency that has been under the leadership of the Jamaica Labour Party for such a long time,” Wint said at the PNP’s joint divisional conference in Hatfield, Manchester, on Saturday night.

Wint, who has lost parliamentary elections thrice, recounted when he attempted to unseat Shaw.

“When I decided to challenge Audley Shaw people ask me if me mad, because to them Audley Shaw was this massive giant and, according to them, North East Manchester was just pure Labourites. But we have seen a change coming, and that change is bringing about a level of anxiousness among them that is causing them to go to many places across the world to bring in people. Some of them from different parishes come to see if they can steady the ship but I must tell you, Comrades, the north is ready, the north come back. The People’s National Party have North East Manchester lock, Comrades, and nothing can change that — no man, no woman, nothing can change that,” he said. “I know is four love in Manchester; nothing can change that.”

Wint’s comments were an obvious swipe at Marks who served as Jamaica’s ambassador to the United States and permanent representative to the Organization of American States from 2010 to 2012, and again from 2016 to March this year when her tour of duty ended.

At Saturday’s meeting, PNP General Secretary Dayton Campbell told Wint to keep up the pressure on the JLP.

“The entire Manchester is ready for the People’s National Party. I see they sent a late entrant into the race in north east; all now me nuh see the MP come out yet, come support and endorse, so me know seh trouble deh deh. So Val, apply the pressure and ensure that North East Manchester comes home to the PNP,” he said.

Manchester North Western Member of Parliament Mikael Phillips, in whose constituency the conference was held, predicted a clean sweep in Manchester for the PNP — unlike the 2020 General Election when he was the only member of the party elected in the parish.

“We a guh beat dem inna North West Manchester; and why dem don’t want to call it is because we are going to win four out of four in Manchester,” he said.

Hopeton McCatty, chairman of the PNP’s Region Five which comprises Manchester and St Elizabeth, expanded the prediction of victory.

“We taking all eight. We have in St Elizabeth a young lady name Patricia Scarlett-Forrester [and we] are taking North West St Elizabeth for the first time since 1993. On the southern plains we have Miranda Wellington and Norman Scott, and they form a team and are terrorising [Frank] Witter and [Floyd] Green. We taking them back. In North East St Elizabeth, which is PNP country which we gave away in 2020, we taking it back because it is ours,” he said.

“South Manchester, Peter Bunting shall return to Gordon House as Member of Parliament. In Central Manchester Comrade Donovan Mitchell shall walk up Duke Street as Member of Parliament. In North West Manchester Mikael seh him want company. In North East Manchester we shall win with Wint,” added McCatty.

Elected representatives and senior members of the People’s National Party give the party’s salute at its conference in Hatfield on Saturday night.

People’s National Party supporters gather at the party’s conference in Hatfield on Saturday night.