WESTMORELAND, Jamaica— Turmoil is brewing in eastern Westmoreland as comrades protest the move to have General Secretary of the People’s National Party (PNP) Dr Dayton Campbell as the party’s standard bearer for the constituency.

Dr Campbell was confirmed as the party’s representative for the constituency on October 2.

The PNP stated that the other applicants did not meet the established selection threshold.

More than 20 protesters claiming to be supporters of Dr Glenville Hall told Observer Online that the constituency of eastern Westmoreland will go back to the Jamaica Labour Party if they do not get to choose their candidate.

“If we don’t get who we want on the ground, this seat is going back to the Jamaica Labour Party. We do not want Dr Campbell here, this seat will go back green,” a distraught comrade Leroy Millings belted as he hit out at the decision.

Mullings argued that Dr Campbell lost by over 2,000 votes in the last general election.

“Dr Campbell lost by 2,000 -odd votes in St Ann, comrade Luther Buchanan lost by 11 and it is so unfair for comrade leader to take Dr Campbell in eastern Westmoreland to run in Luther Buchanan’s seat,” Mullings reasoned.

Another protester Kerron Hylton argued that Dr Campbell should return to St Ann.

“Dr Campbell must go back to St Ann to clean up his mess because apparently he did something wrong why we lost by such a margin,” she stressed.

Hylton said eastern Westmoreland wants Dr Glenville Hall.

“We have our own Member of Parliament who is willing and ready and is working the ground. A product from the soil of Westmoreland, we’re going to vote for. If we cannot get Dr Glenville Hall it only fair to bring back Luther Buchanan. No Hall, no vote!” Hylton proclaimed.

However, Dr Campbell who was present at the protest told Observer Online that he is not offended.

“I don’t have a problem with persons expressing their concerns, clearly they were invested in supporting a candidate and naturally they will want to know why that person is not going forward. I don’t take it as an offence,” Campbell reasoned.

Campbell is in the parish meeting and greeting people in the constituency.

Campbell said once dialogues continue as to how they met at a decision, then there will be some normalcy.

“Because of how the process ended. I think there is a disconnect between some of the persons within the constituency and how we got to the decision. I think once we are able to do that, once we are able to continue the dialogue we will be fine,” Campbell said.

He added that he will be residing in the parish, and so he will be very accessible.

In response to losing the last election, Campbell said, the election in general was a bad one for the PNP and that the votes that were lost were the same across the constituency.

Campbell pledges to leave the constituency better than he found it, once elected and stated his plans for eastern Westmoreland.

“Naturally at the top of the list are infrastructural needs; the need for roads, potent water,there’s need for some housing and land titling in some sections, employment – [as] on the coastline you have fisheries and other agricultural endeavors,” Campbell outlined.

– Kimberley Peddie