CHRISTIANA, Manchester — Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) aspirant for Manchester North Eastern Senator Audrey Marks says she has the full support of veteran Member of Parliament Audley “Man a Yaad” Shaw to be his replacement.

Shaw, who has held the seat since 1993, is reportedly ill and overseas. On the weekend, People’s National Party (PNP) General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell questioned why Shaw had not publicly endorsed Marks while urging PNP aspirant Valenton “Val” Wint to increase the pressure on the JLP in the constituency.

Marks told the Jamaica Observer on Sunday that she has been in contact with Shaw.

“Mr Shaw is away; he has not been well. He is coming back soon and he has already indicated his endorsement to the party — that is where it is important and to me, personally. I would not have been here if he had not indicated his endorsement,” she said.

“I expect in politics that people will speak a lot of nonsense but the reality is, we have Mr Shaw’s full endorsement and I intend to honour his legacy,” she added.

Shaw last year had endorsed Craighead Councillor Omar Miller to replace him in the constituency. However, there was tension when former JLP candidate and educator Hidran McKulsy also expressed an interest.

With the PNP basking in its victory in last year’s local government election, having won the Christiana and Walderston divisions, Wint on the weekend told supporters at a meeting in Hatfield, Manchester, that there is a “wind of change” moving across the constituency.

“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,” said Wint who has lost parliamentary elections thrice.

However, Marks said the JLP is confident of holding on to the constituency at the next parliamentary election.

“I am not sure if I understand what Mr Wint is referring to, but the Manchester North East constituency is an important part of Jamaica, an important constituency, and the Jamaica Labour Party intends to campaign hard as usual to maintain this representation of this important constituency,” said 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.