ST THOMAS, JAMAICA — Jamaica Labour Party candidate and the incumbent for St Thomas Eastern, Dr Michelle Charles, is urging residents to cast their ballot for performance, not propaganda.

Charles, who voted in New Pera in the parish, said she was both confident and anxious. She admitted that her seat is one to watch and touted the level of investment the Andrew-Holness-led Administration has made in the parish.

“It’s a seat that this government has invested so much into. We’ve invested in infrastructure, lots of good, new roads; we’ve invested in jobs, so many things, so it’s a seat to watch. We want to know if the people of Jamaica and the people of St Thomas Eastern will vote on the performance of a government or vote on propaganda, so it is a seat to watch,” she told the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday.

Charles won the St Thomas Eastern seat in 2020, after defeating the People’s National Party’s Fenton Ferguson, who had held it for six terms. Charles is facing off with the PNP’s Yvonne Shaw, a former mayor of Morant Bay, in this general election.

Independent candidate Claudius Wong is also contesting the seat.

“I’ve worked really hard over the past five years, and I’ve made sure that everyone can see it,” said Charles.

“We listen to our people and we give them what they want, so that’s why you should vote for us,” she added.

While she shied away from predicting the number of votes she’ll tally when the polls close, she said constituents will come out to vote for performance over propaganda.

“If they do that – if they vote for the low crime, if they vote for better jobs, better infrastructure and a government that has balanced the budget and a government that has allowed us to not have any new taxes for 12 quarters – if they vote for performance over propaganda, then I know the entire Jamaica Labour Party will be successful,” said Charles.

Polling stations close today at 5:00 pm.