ST THOMAS, Jamaica — Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate and incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for St Thomas Eastern Dr Michelle Charles poked fun at her opponent, the People’s National Party’s Yvonne Rosemarie Shaw for her seeming lack of political loyalty.

Charles, who was duly nominated to represent the ruling party in the constituency in the September 3 General Election, asserted that, as a “rockstone Labourite”, constituents can be confident in her dependability and genuine investment in their community.

The incumbent, who flipped the constituency from orange to green after defeating the People’s National Party’s Fenton Ferguson in the 2020 General Election, made the remarks moments after being nominated at Coke Methodist Church in Morant Bay, St Thomas, on Monday.

Charles arrived at the nomination centre at 10:33 am, accompanied by a group of supporters, including her father, retired politician and former Speaker of the House Pearnel Charles Sr, and her son Chad Luchey.

The JLP candidate and first-time MP said while she’s anticipating a fiery race with her opponent, her consistency and achievements in St Thomas Eastern set her apart from Shaw.

“I am a rock stone Labourite; I don’t go left, right, centre, back and forth, and go based on opportunities or what is needed. What sets me apart from her is that I stay focused on a goal, I work hard towards it, and no one can deflect me…and I change.

“I am the person you can depend on. You know for a fact that whatever I say is true. I’m not gonna change my mind in five years, I’m not gonna like you here and dislike you; I’m gonna like you always,” said Charles.

Shaw, a former mayor of Morant Bay, had previously switched allegiance from the JLP to the PNP, then back to the JLP, which she last represented in the 2012 elections. For the upcoming general election, Shaw, who is scheduled to be duly nominated at 1:00 pm Monday, is running on a PNP ticket.

Charles said that, unlike Shaw, she has a better team that loves and has invested in St Thomas Eastern.

“This Andrew Holness Government is the one that loves St Thomas Eastern, the one that has invested in St Thomas Eastern, so everyone put on your sunglasses because the future of St Thomas is bright,” said the first-time MP.

“We’re campaigning on the continuation of what our party has done so far and what we intend to do, for example, the SPARK [Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network] Programme the new museum, more jobs.

“We are campaigning on continuing the work of the Jamaica Labour Party,” she said.

“The Opposition is campaigning on changing everything, and if they win, we might not even have [the] SPARK [Programme] — that’s the reality. Just like how when [United States President Donald Trump] won, he changed everything. If they win, we might not have anything to continue in St Thomas.”