PRIME Minister Andrew Holness yesterday announced a March 2 by-election for Clarendon South Eastern, a day after the resignation of Member of Parliament Rudyard Spencer in the House of Representatives.

“As prime minister, it is my duty to ensure the proper functioning of the people’s government, which includes keeping the parliamentary majority intact,” said Holness.

“I therefore announce that nomination will be on Wednesday, February 12, 2020 and election day will be on Monday, March 2, 2020, for the constituency of Clarendon South Eastern,” said the prime minister.

Just before the prime minister’s announcement, the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) said it was making the necessary preparations to nominate its candidate for the impending by-election to replace Spencer, despite an announcement from the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) that it would not be contesting the election.

JLP General Secretary Dr Horace Chang, speaking with the Jamaica Observer, said it is the duty of the Administration to ensure that the country’s democracy is upheld.

In the meantime, PNP General Secretary Julian Robinson described Spencer’s departure from representational politics as a “hurried and contrived resignation”.

Robinson said while the party wished Spencer well in his retirement, his resignation has not been occasioned by any personal or national emergency, but by the political exigencies of the JLP to settle the political wrangling between Senators Pearnel Charles Jr, and Robert Morgan.

He further suggested that it is unreasonable to ask Jamaicans to provide the Electoral Office of Jamaica with $30 million to pay for a “contrived by-election” when general elections, expecting to cost over one billion dollars, are due within months.

“The People’s National Party respects the right of the people of South East Clarendon to have parliamentary representation, but has no intention of following the JLP into this unnecessary and wasteful political exercise which will be a carnival of spending State resources, as were the cases in the two previous by-elections,” Robinson stated.

As a result, he said, the PNP would not be contesting the by-election.

But Chang, in his retort, said the PNP is merely afraid of another by-election loss.

Of the five by-elections contested since the February 2016 General Election, the party has lost three, including St Mary South Eastern and Portland Eastern — the constituency it was widely expected to retain.

“We’ve established an election period and proceed to nominate our candidate. The PNP say they are not contesting; that’s their choice. Our decision is not dependent on the PNP’s actions. We have a vacant seat and we are going to put up a candidate for it,” Chang said.

Part III, subsection 27 (i) of The Representation of the People Act stipulates that where only one candidate has been nominated within the time allowed the returning officer must immediately make this known to the chief electoral officer through the appropriate form that that candidate is duly elected for the constituency.

This eliminates the need for the returning officer to “grant a poll for taking the votes of the elector”.

Chang explained that the JLP would be moving forward with the nomination of its candidate —Senator Pearnel Charles, Jr — despite the Opposition’s concern because “the health of the political party in a democracy is as important as the health of the economy”.

The general secretary said while an election is costly, it is important to not become cavalier about the country’s democracy.

– Kimone Francis