ST JAMES, Jamaica — The Member of Parliament for St James Central, Heroy Clarke has been nominated as deputy leader for the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Area Council 4.

Clarke, who was the lone nominee after nominating himself, accepted the position during an Area Council 4 constituency meeting hosted by St James East Central at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St James, on Sunday.

While his nomination is set to go to the JLP’s National Conference for official ratification in November, Clarke noted that additional nominations remain open up to the 14th of this month.

Expected to succeed JC Hutchinson in the role, Clarke expressed confidence and readiness to begin his duties immediately.

“I do understand that the work is cut out for me because, as the saying goes, anywhere the West goes, the rest goes. Therefore, I cannot afford to allow the West to fall out of the winning column,” said Clarke in an interview following his nomination.

He emphasised that strong family support will be crucial as he balances his political obligations.

“I know the work is there for me to do, and I will continue in light of what is happening. One thing I am grateful for is that my immediate family is very political — they understand what it means when I say I am going into the trenches, into every nook and cranny, to get the job done. Most of the time, they will be accompanying me to those areas,” stated Clarke.

Clarke added that his immediate focus will align with the strategy of the party’s senior leadership.

“I know what the work requires, and we have to deliver because elder statesmen like Dr Horace Chang, Edmund Bartlett, and JC Hutchinson have vowed that the West must return to where it was,” noted Clarke.

With local government elections scheduled for 2028, Clarke identified leading the party through that campaign as his first major task in his new post.

— Anthony Lewis.