OVER the decades there have been some epic general election battles for the six parliamentary seats in the central Jamaica parish of Clarendon, and the 2025 contest is expected to be no different.

Of the eight contested elections between 1989 and 2020, the PNP has won five — 1989, 1993, 1997, 2002, and 2011. The JLP won in 2007, 2016, and 2020. On five occasions, the two parties split the seats 3-3, an indication of how tough it is for one party to get the upper hand in the parish.

The PNP won five seats to the JLP’s one in Clarendon in 1993, when PJ Patterson, seeking his first mandate after being handed the baton by Michael Manley in 1992, routed the JLP — with the Comrades winning 52 of the 60 seats in the House of Representatives.

The JLP accomplished the feat twice: First in 2007 when Bruce Golding led the Labourites to victory after nearly 20 years in the political wilderness, and again in 2020, when, the Andrew Holness-led JLP walloped the PNP in a one-sided contest, winning 49 seats to 14.

With the September 3 polls just over a week away, the PNP is expressing confidence that it will pick up at least two seats in Clarendon, possibly three, while the JLP is banking on its “record of performance” to extend its current dominance in the parish.

The PNP’s Lothan Cousins and the JLP’s Pearnel Charles Jr both spoke to the
Jamaica Observer about the state of play in the parish and what they expect.

The sole seat held by the PNP is its bastion of Clarendon South Western, which was won by Cousins, an attorney-at-law and then newcomer to representational politics. He shadows the land portfolio and is regarded as a rising star in the PNP.

Cousins told the
Sunday Observer that several seats now held by the governing JLP are in play, largely due to what he charged is the “neglect of the parish” by its representatives over its two terms in office.

“Clarendon has been underserved for the last eight or nine years, the truth is that over the last five years since 2020, we have seen a further disservice to the parish, and when you look at the parish of Clarendon — the third largest parish in Jamaica with a population close to 300,000 people — the type of infrastructural development in Clarendon has been lagging way behind,” Cousins argued.

“We have some of the worst interior roads in the country here in Clarendon, and the last time any interior roads got any attention in Clarendon was under Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller when the road from May Pen to Chapelton was addressed, and the road from Mineral Heights to Lionel Town was fixed,” Cousins added.

He noted that, at that time, Dr Omar Davies was the minister of works in the 2011-2016 Simpson Miller Administration.

The PNP’s Lothan Cousins is pushing to hang on to the Clarendon South Eastern seat.

“Unfortunately since then, the parish has not seen anything in terms of development,” Cousins stated.

He highlighted that “they [the Holness-led Government] brought a highway through the parish, they brought the Chinese to do the highway and they negatively impacted most of the interior communities by the highway construction”.

The first-time Member of Parliament reminded that he boycotted the opening ceremony for the Williamsfield to May Pen leg of Highway 2000 in September 2023, “because of what I thought at the time was a great disingenuous act towards the people because, whilst you’re not against national development and the placing of national assets in the parish and in the communities, it cannot be done to the detriment of the people who live in these communities and there must be some form of inclusivity.

“So I’m not surprised that the entire parish of Clarendon is in play,” added Cousins, who believes disgruntled Labourites could make the ruling party pay.

“I see where they have done a great disservice to Mike Henry [the outgoing Member of Parliament for Clarendon Central]. Although Mike Henry is a Labourite, he’s somebody that we all respect. He looks out for everybody when he was MP, J[LP] and P[NP]. Nobody could say that Mike Henry was not a decent person; he was a decent human being, as an MP he was exceptional,” Cousins said.

According to Cousins, the JLP “disrespected him by opting to go for a councillor in Kingston [Delroy Williams, former mayor of Kingston] as opposed to a councillor [Joel Williams] who’s serving as mayor of the parish in that constituency”.

Cousins said this further underscores the point that “they do not care about Clarendon”.

The JLP’s Clarendon South Western candidate Robert Chin (centre) surrounded by supporters. (Photos: Garfield Robinson)

To emphasise the point, he noted that, “Pearnel [Charles Jr] is an ‘importee’ and he has not assimilated well into the Clarendon culture, so he is very weak where he is in South East; I can tell you that much”.

Charles Jr was parachuted into the parish by the JLP for the March 2020 by-election to replace the long-standing MP Rudyard Spencer, who had resigned. The PNP boycotted the by-election, declaring it to be a waste of public funds with a general election just months away. Charles Jr would prevail six months later in the September 3 General Election, defeating the PNP’s Patricia Duncan-Sutherland.

This time around, he will be challenged for the seat by the PNP’s Scean Barnswell, a former mayor and councillor for the Hayes Division.

Regarding the Clarendon North Central seat being defended by the JLP’s Robert Morgan, Cousins said: “I don’t know much about north central but I can tell you that north-west and northern Clarendon are definitely in play. And we would have demonstrated that we are back in northern Clarendon when we won that by-election in Aenon Town last year.

“We won that by-election against the background of the Jamaica Labour Party being in government and having dumped tremendous resources into the space. I was one of the persons who the party sent there to anchor that seat, and we won it. By virtue of the fact that we demonstrated, in that by-election, our capacity to convince the voters to stick with the People’s National Party, it is clear that northern and north western [are in play] and I think there may be a few surprises on the night. I don’t want to call it yet, but at least three of six for the PNP and possibly three additional seats on the night,” he said.

Former cricketer Wavell Hinds is challenging the JLP’s Dwight Sibblies for the Clarendon Northern seat while the veteran Richard Azan is looking to win back the Clarendon North Western seat; he is going up against the JLP’s Warren Newby. The seat was won by the JLP’s Phillip Henriques in the 2020 General Election but the businessman has called time on his political career.

When pressed on whether the PNP can flip Clarendon Central, which Henry has won in every election since 1980, Cousins said: “I can’t say but we have an excellent candidate in Carla Watt. She’s been a long-term councillor who has demonstrated that she knows how to win in that constituency, and so you cannot write off somebody who’s a fighter at their very core and who has demonstrated time and time again that they know how to win.”

The PNP’s candidate for Clarendon Central Carla Watt (centre) with her supporters after she was nominated to contest the September 3 General Election.

“Clarendon has always demonstrated that the parish loves their own, it is a parish that is very guarded when it comes to people who are from the parish,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Charles Jr — when asked whether he expects the seat count to remain at 5-1 in favour of the JLP at the end of the polls on September 3 — said: “My expectation is that the people of Clarendon will once again put their confidence in the Jamaica Labour Party. We’ve been working, delivering, and building trust across all constituencies. The record speaks for itself, and I believe the people will reaffirm that confidence at the polls.”

He was asked to respond to the PNP’s targeting of the northern and north western seats in the parish, where it usually does well, and whether the JLP is in a fight to hold those seats.

“We welcome competition in a democracy, but we are confident. The JLP has been on the ground, delivering results, and keeping connected with the people in those constituencies. We’re not distracted by talk; we’re focused on service — and that’s what will make the difference on election day,” said Charles Jr, an attorney-at-law and the minister of labour and social security:

As to whether the PNP could spring a surprise in Clarendon Central, the JLP standard-bearer said, “The Jamaica Labour Party is united and strong in Central Clarendon. Delroy Williams has the full support of the team, and we are confident the people of Central Clarendon will respond positively. Our focus is on mobilising our base and ensuring that voters come out and have their say in the future of their constituency and the country.”

When asked whether he expects to increase his margin of victory when he faces the PNP’s Barnswell in defending his seat, Charles Jr responded with: “My focus has never been on margins, but on service. The people of South East Clarendon know my record, they know my accessibility, and they know my commitment. I am confident that when they go to the polls they will vote to continue that representation and partnership. The margin will take care of itself once we keep delivering.

“North central has seen the consistent leadership of Minister Robert Morgan, and the people have benefited from solid representation and development. We believe that track record will continue to speak loudly, and we expect the people of north central to stay with the JLP,” he added of a seat that last went to the PNP in 1993.

What does the JLP expect in Clarendon on election day?

“Our expectation is victory across the parish. We are working to return all five JLP seats and, with the work we’ve done, we are also putting ourselves in a position to challenge strongly for the one that has traditionally been PNP. The people of Clarendon are focused on progress, not on going back to empty promises — and that is why I believe the JLP will continue to lead in Clarendon,” he said.