WHEN his father Fitz Albert Neil passed from complications associated with COVID-19 in 2021 and was unable to fulfil his dream of representing the political party United Independents’ Congress of Jamaica (UIC Jamaica), Chase Neil stepped in to make his legacy possible.

Now Chase serves as the non-partisan party’s candidate for St Mary Western in the upcoming general election, bringing with him a bold vision to expand initiatives he has already begun. His plans include creating remote and other job opportunities for constituents, promoting financial discipline, supporting small business development, exploring aquaponics, and addressing the long-standing problem of poor road conditions in the constituency.

A minister of religion, educator, and natural health consultant with doctorate degrees in business administration and naturopathic medicine, Chase said it was never his intention to enter the political landscape, but he accepted the challenge.

He explained that his father loved politics and was a member of the People’s National Party (PNP), but left that party in the 80s or 90s.

“My father was earmarked to take over, but the delegates did not want him because he was too lenient, if you will, with the Jamaica Labour Party. He believed that everybody deserved equal service, so when he heard about the UIC and this non-partisan stance, where everybody should have been served, he wanted to run, but it was during the time of COVID-19 and he told me to hold the space for him until he got better, but he passed away, unfortunately,” he recalled.

“I am here still, and I’m doing it in his name and for his legacy,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

The St Mary Western candidate said he was further inspired to put his boots on the ground when he realised that if elected, he would be given the opportunity to address and highlight deeply rooted issues within Jamaica and change the governance system for the better.

“I am a minister of religion, and it occurred to me that I can preach to people and try to get them united to the divine, but after they leave service, they come back into this system that diminishes their humanity, their personal sovereignty. It was like I [was] pouring water into a bag with holes. It just occurred to me that no matter what we do in our private space to try to better people’s lives, the fact is, they come back to a system that abuses them.

“I think the most tangible contribution I can make to society is to better the system, continue what I’m doing in my space, but also seek to better the system,” he reasoned.

A candidate for the UIC in the September 2024 by-election for St Ann North Eastern, Chase said the next general election will not be his first time at the polls. He went up against the JLP’s Matthew Samuda and independent candidate David Fritz Anderson. Chase secured 31 votes, a wide margin from Samuda, who won the constituency with 4,820 votes, and Anderson, who amassed 217 votes.

He noted that his candidacy at the time was a last-minute decision when the initial UIC representative for the constituency withdrew their bid. He expressed confidence that this time around, things will be different because he is more prepared.

The UIC candidate will go head-to-head with the PNP’s Omar Woodbine and the JLP’s Robert Montague, the incumbent Member of Parliament for the St Mary Western seat, on September 3. All three candidates were successfully nominated on August 18.

Chase, who hails from Geddes Town, Free Hill in St Mary, said the political race as a member of a minor party has been an uphill task, but he is moving from house to house, sharing the UIC’s vision for Jamaica, and his vision for the constituency. He said the reception has been mixed, but that will not discourage him.

“For those who are open to conversation, then I would explain that the UIC is for the people, so when you’re telling me UIC can’t win, you’re telling me that we, the people, can’t win. The JLP and PNP do have their delegates, but at the end of the day, they answer to whoever funds them. UIC is the voice of the people. It is you who fund it, or if you don’t fund us, we’re still working for you, the people, because that’s regular Jamaican conduct,” he said.

“Really, we are your true voice, so if we can’t win, you’re telling me that you can’t win, and there’s no hope for you…Some [people] come around, some don’t, that’s human nature. There are others who are enthusiastic about it and want to hear what I have to say. I don’t have enough flyers and cards for them to give out to other people, so there are persons who are working where I can’t work, they have only the message for themselves, and they are doing the work,” he told the Sunday Observer.

He shared that if elected Member of Parliament, he intends to tackle issues such as youth employment, job creation, and bad roads. Chase shared that he started the Ranger Combined Forces, a programme that teaches youth life skills such as confidence, leadership, teamwork, how to take responsibility and serving the community through adventurous activities, as well as paramilitary skills. He said the programme also teaches financial literacy to develop small businesses, and he intends to expand it, if elected.

Additionally, he intends to tap into aquaponics — a sustainable food production system that combines aquaculture, raising fish, and hydroponics, growing plants in water. He also hopes to expand employment opportunities for youth by connecting them to remote jobs, as well as advocating for better roads.

As Jamaicans prepare to head to the polls on September 3, he urged them to give their vote to a party working for them.

“I would tell Jamaicans to choose themselves despite the hype, despite the handouts and the gifts…Instead of feeding into the system, feeding into our own oppression through the parties, to own their own movement, log on to uicjamaica.com, donate if [you] can, and to vote for the UIC candidates. Or if there’s no UIC candidates, to go vote, send a message, so that we can create that Jamaica that works for all of us and brings out the best in all of us,” he implored.