LUCEA, Hanover — An out-of-reach Member of Parliament (MP) and a burning desire to do more for Hanover were the factors that Tamika Davis said pushed her into representational politics.

A political neophyte at the time, Davis said a year before the 2020 General Election she was swayed by the philosophies of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), resulting in her offering to contest the Hanover Western seat.

After a run-off with businessman Andrew McLeary she was declared the party’s standard-bearer for the constituency and went on to secure 6,148 votes to defeat Ian Hayles of the People’s National Party (PNP), who received 5,095 votes.

“I don’t have any political name or connection. I’m just really contributing with a genuine love for my parish and a genuine desire to see us move leaps and bounds in terms of infrastructure and other assistance,” the first-term MP told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.

Davis, an attorney-at-law from Greenland in the constituency, said she was raised by a God-fearing grandmother who “did not encourage participation in any political activities”.

But Davis had concerns about the quality of life in the constituency.

“There was no water. So very close to where I live there is a river called Valley Fire Hole; we used to go there on weekends to wash. We used to go there to get water and so on,” stated Davis.

“As I got older, I realised that it wasn’t changing. I travelled to other parishes and I would see and compare Hanover…to other parishes. And I just couldn’t understand why the same thing couldn’t happen here…so I started reading, doing my own research and, of course, my first thought was to get engaged in service clubs because I just knew I wanted to help. I wanted to make a change in my parish and so I joined the Lions Club,” Davis told the Sunday Observer.

Additionally, she said she started a mentorship programme for girls in her community.

“I would just have some of the students, the younger ones, come by my verandah and teach them, help them with their reading, keep them off the streets,” explained Davis.

But that was not enough for Davis, who said she wanted to do more for the parish that appeared to have been forgotten.

“I was looking for other ways and means in which I could help Hanover,” she said, pointing out that she wanted to improve street lighting, water, create opportunities for young people, and improve the overall aesthetics of the parish capital, among other things.

Reflecting on her representational politics entry in 2019, Davis said: “I thought it was just the best time, because since I became politically aware, I’ve always only known Ian Hayles as a Member of Parliament and I couldn’t reach or couldn’t get a connection. It was a barrier. You had to know someone and it wasn’t easy to get all the ideas I had bubbling around in my head out. There was no help forthcoming, and I didn’t understand this,” stated Davis.

So she became a candidate herself. Now Davis, who is seeking a second term, said she has achievements to show.

“I’ve been able to do quite a lot. When you look at the roads — and in terms of farming roads — I’ve been able to have them rehabilitated. I really don’t like to showboat, but if you measure the roadways that have been fixed in Hanover, you can confirm that nine, 10, or more roadways have been fixed compared to the last 13 years, for instance,” she told the Sunday Observer.

“We’ve seen improvement in water. A lot of communities, for the very first time, are now able to access piped water. And for me, that is just a great achievement,” stated Davis.

“Again, you have to put everything in context because you might be in Mount Pleasant or some parts of Dias, and if you don’t have water, you may be saying, ‘Well, yes, you do that there, but what about us?’ And my answer to that is it is impossible to complete all the areas in the short time that I’ve been given,” added Davis.

Education has received special focus from Davis who said she has spent more than $35 million on a number of initiatives, among them the annual top Primary Exit Profile exam achievers scholarship, an essay competition, and tertiary grant awards.

“I have this open-door policy. It doesn’t matter to me that your family is from a PNP or a JLP background. When I assumed office in 2020 I took an oath and it was to serve all of Western Hanover, and that is what I have stood firm with. I really believe in that and I want to help,” said Davis.

“I remember when I was admitted to do law, I couldn’t. I had to reschedule a year [because] I couldn’t afford to go. I had to teach for a year to be able to get some money to help me to realise my dreams,” Davis explained.

She also pointed to achievements in health, farming, fisheries, and expressed pleasure with the rehabilitation of the Lord’s Multipurpose Court in Malcolm Heights, Lucea. The project was done under the Spruce Up Jamaica programme, which included the replacement of zinc fences on the other side of the main road with concrete walls.

“I am at a place now where I have seen that some work has been done, but so much more can be done, and there’s so much more left in me to do…I want to continue on this path because, for the first time, Western Hanover is now on the map,” Davis stated.

She is particularly happy that roads in the constituency will be receiving attention under the Government’s $45-billion Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) project and the new road that will go around Hopewell, Sandy Bay, and Lucea, leading into Negril, sections of which are in Westmoreland. Construction is expected to commence following completion of the Montego Bay perimeter road in St James.

Davis also has a tourism vision for Lucea.

“We want to make the town of Lucea one of the best tourist attractions. We have some of the oldest buildings. And so there is so much potential here. It’s like a gem waiting to be uncovered,” she argued

The constituency has 34,819 registered voters.

Between 1980 and 1989 the seat was held by current JLP General Secretary Dr Horace Chang.

Since 1989, the PNP won the seat seven times before the cycle was broken by the JLP in 2020.

Among the MPs who held the seat were Benjamin Clare, 1989-2002. He died in 2010. Ralston Anson served between 2002 and 2007, and Hayles between 2007 and 2020.