President of the People’s National Party (PNP) Mark Golding, on Thursday officially presented businessman Paul Patmore as the party’s standard bearer for the Trelawny Southern constituency.
The seat was last held by the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert. But nearly a year ago, she tendered her resignation as House Speaker and Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency after a report from the Integrity Commission was made public, in which it was recommended that she be slapped with eight charges related to her statutory declarations between 2015 and 2021.
Based on the feedback from PNP supporters, Patmore, a former independent councillor for the Lorrimers Division in the constituency, expressed the viewpoint that whenever the next general election is called, he will be the next MP.
“Comrades I want you to know that I am pumped up and ready. I am ready,” Patmore said to loud cheers and the blowing of horns on Thursday at the PNP constituency conference in Albert Town Square, which was transformed into a sea of orange-clad party supporters.
Paul Patmore (centre with white cup in hand) among People’s National Party (PNP) supporters in Albert Town, Trelawny on Thursday.
Golding welcomed the obvious level of support for Patmore, but like other speakers before him, warned against complacency, and urged party workers to press on.
“As other speakers have said, we no watch crowd. We no watch motorcade. It’s nice to feel the energy, and it gives us inspiration and confidence to move forward, but it is work and it is organisation that delivers victories in general elections,” he cautioned.
He used the opportunity to take a jab at the Government, which he accused of being without a plan to fight crime.
“Comrades, when they look at the crime and violence situation, they don’t have a strategy for dealing with it. Every time there’s a crisis in the country, like there was this (last) week with what happened in (Cherry Tree Lane) Clarendon, you hear the same things being said over and over by the leadership of the country. And the people are tired of it,” stated Golding.
“We need a balanced approach. We need to support our security forces with the necessary laws, with the necessary assets, so they can do their work and be effective,” he further stated.
