"I don't want to be a farmer" – Young voter says St Andrew West Rural youth want different lifestyle

First-time voter 20-year-old Stacey-Ann Myers defied the traditional tendency of residents in Brandon Hill and cast her vote this morning for the Jamaica Labour Party’s Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn in St Andrew West Rural.

Brandon Hill was the only one of four divisions in the constituency that Cuthbert-Flynn lost in the 2016 general election. Despite winning the constituency by more than 2,000 votes when she went up against the People's National Party’s (PNP's) Paul Buchanan in 2016, Cuthbert-Flynn lost the Brandon Hill division by 504 votes.

The incumbent will be seeking to stave off a challenge from young and vibrant PNP newcomer Krystal Tomlinson, but despite being a youth herself, Myers says Tomlinson will not get her vote.

“She (Tomlinson) is talking about farming and things that are not appealing to us young people because I don’t want to become a farmer. My father was a farmer, my great-grandfather was a farmer, and my grandmother. I want to be something else,” said the young voter, who is studying at the Caribbean Maritime University.

Although she said that Cuthbert-Flynn had assisted her in several ways, she doubts that the former Olympian will be able to wrestle the division from the PNP.

“I think she will get some more votes this year, but she won’t win here,” she said.

Tomlinson said she was confident of victory during her tour of the division.

“We are working as though we are coming in from behind, so we are not taking anything for granted, and our workers know that,” Tomlinson said.

She believes she has a mandate that resonates with a wide cross section of the constituency.

"My goal for youths surrounds training and stipend-driven programmes that, while you are studying, you can have a stipend,” she said.

The first-timer said she is confident that she will take the St Andrew West Rural seat.

“I am feeling very encouraged and motivated because what we are seeing are Comrades out with a lot of energy, motivated to vote, eager to get to the polls, and the numbers are, so far, in the positives for us,” she said.

By noon, there was only a trickling of voters making their way to polling stations across the constituency. At the Padmore Primary School, indoor and outdoor agents had very little to do as there was no one to escort.

 

St Andrew West Rural

2020

PNP - Krystal Tomlinson

JLP - Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn

 

2016

PNP - Paul Buchanan - 7,638

JLP - Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn - 9,736