HE had initially set his sights on representing the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in Clarendon North Western in the next general election but was beaten by former Senator Warren Newby in a selection contest. Corey Dunkley, however, remained undaunted.

The 31-year-old attorney-at-law did not pick up his marbles and walk, nor did he threaten to switch allegiance. Instead, like a rock-stone Labouritie, he simply asked his party where else could he serve to help in its quest for a third term.

“It made me a little bit disheartened but I was not turned off from politics at all. Things always turn out the way that they’re supposed to turn out, thanks be to God, so I’m never too upset about outcomes,” Dunkley told the Jamaica Observer.

“I was able to be in the space [Clarendon North Western] and I benefited a lot of people; I touched a lot of lives; I gave help that I would have otherwise never been able to give; made very good, strong relationships which I still maintain today. So…I didn’t get the position but I was not sad about it,” Dunkley added.

Shortly after, he was called on to be the party’s representative in St Andrew Western, a constituency the People’s National Party (PNP) has held even when it was blown away by the JLP in the 1980 and 2020 general elections.

But Dunkley is not worried, as the chance of creating history and capturing the constituency for the JLP for only the second time in a contested election is a challenge he believes he is well capable of.

Young attorney-at-law Corey Dunkley is prepared for a battle to take the St Andrew Western seat for the JLP. (Photos: Naphtali Junior)

According to Dunkley, from an early stage in his life he developed an interest in representing and helping people, so moving on to the political stage is almost a calling.

Born in Clarendon to a father who had several children, Dunkley was the only child for his mother and has pleasant memories of his early years with his extended family in the central Jamaica parish.

He moved into the Corporate Area as a child of seven years old to live with his mother, and was enrolled in Wolmer’s Prep School before moving to Wolmer’s Boys’ School. From there it was on to University of Technology, Jamaica, where he read for a degree in law.

Having gained the degree and subsequently applied to Norman Manley Law School where he was successful in the entrance examination and was called to the Bar in 2020.

Despite being schooled in some of the most prestigious educational institutions in the Corporate Area, Dunkley is adamant he was not born with the proverbial gold spoon in his mouth.

“I wouldn’t say that, you know, because my beginnings were humble, very humble beginnings. There was always enough, but when you think of somebody who is coming from moneyed people, that was definitely not me. Sometimes there was not enough and …at that time you just have to make do with what you have, which I think has framed my thinking and has made me very good at problem-solving,” said Dunkley.

He noted that through university and law school he was supported by his parents, applied for and received scholarships, and worked part-time jobs.

With school out of the way Dunkley started his foray into politics by working in whatever roles he could for the JLP, the party which his family traditionally supported.

But Dunkley told the Sunday Observer that family tradition is not the only reason he applied to become a member of the JLP, which he is convinced is a party of progress and prosperity and the one that has historically benefited Jamaica.

“I have looked at the policies of both parties, and although my family would have been Labour Party-leaning there are members of my family who have not been Labour Party-leaning, so I am well educated on both sides. Based on what I see actually happening… and what has been recorded… choosing the Jamaica Labour Party was a very simple decision,” he said.

“The overall progress that happens in the country, whenever the Jamaica Labour Party is in power… is excellent. There are always more opportunities for people, there is always less crime, and there is always great development,” argued Dunkley.

He charged that as a young man growing up under a PNP Government, those were the times he saw the most challenges financially, alongside a lack of opportunities for young people.

Now Dunkley is determined to help the JLP continue the progress — which he believes it is delivering to the country — by serving as a Member of Parliament in what is considered a safe PNP seat.

According to Dunkley, people in St Andrew Western reached out to him to represent them, and after doing his research he concluded that the time is right for the party to achieve a victory in that constituency.

“I wouldn’t know about a seat being unwinnable anywhere [for the JLP]… A constituency is comprised of people, and once you can connect with the people you can always win,” declared Dunkley.

“The reception has been very positive. The people of St Andrew Western have not been getting good representation so they are welcoming the change. And I’m embracing them and doing what I can do to show them that I will be the best representative that they could have,” said Dunkley.

“The reality is that a JLP victory in that seat would be historic, and the party may not have won it recently but I have never run the seat before, so I’m very excited for the challenge. It’s definitely not an easy road [but] I don’t think any seat should be easy.

“But I am more than prepared and willing to go the extra mile — 150 per cent — and deliver everything that I need to deliver to the people so that they can know what it’s like to have a good representative in that seat,” added Dunkley.

To do that he will have to defeat the PNP’s Anthony Hylton, who has held the seat since 2007 and comfortably defeated the JLP’s Dorian Francis by more than 1,500 votes in 2020 when the Andrew Holness-led JLP scored a big victory to secure a second-consecutive term.

“I am very optimistic and I know that my people will choose me. Well, Mr Francis is Mr Francis and Corey Dunkley is Corey Dunkley, that alone gives me enough confidence to know that even if we’re doing the exact same thing my result will be different than his,” declared the young attorney.