Change is coming to East Portland – Golding

BOUNDBROOK, Portland:

Opposition Leader Mark Golding has urged constituents in East Portland to press along as change is coming to the constituency soon.

The People’s National Party (PNP) leader was addressing a small group of supporters during a divisional conference in the Port Antonio division in East Portland Wednesday evening.

“They are looking for a change and Comrades, change is going to come,” said Golding.

“Our party has been through a hard time. We lost the election last September badly, is just 14 a we in the parliament in the House of Representatives, out of 63. But we don’t watch that and we nuh fraid a nobody and we stand up fi di rights of the Jamaican people. And Comrades, I have been going around since being elected leader of the party November last year. I have been on the ground; I have been feeling the pulse of the people.

“And I can tell you the PNP support is there, it hasn’t gone anywhere, but they just want to save us and feel us and know that we are united and strong and ready to take on the responsibility of governing the country again. And Comrades, the first step in that process will be the local government elections. And all we have to do, Comrades, is organise ourselves, here in East Portland. We must become a recognised constituency again,” Golding further said. He noted that there should be formation of political groups to strengthen people power

The constituency of Eastern Portland has experienced prolonged challenges over the years due to a breakdown in maintaining an active political group structure, which has resulted in the constituency being labelled as dormant and one that is not recognised by the hierarchy of the PNP. As such, the decision to appoint or elect a standard-bearer for the constituency is done at the leadership level, without the input or support of party supporters and/or delegates.

It is against that background that Golding is clamouring for the formation of the various political groups, so as to ensure or guarantee that the people of East Portland will and can have a say in candidate selection going forward.

“We must organise ourselves, so that we will have the necessary number of groups, real groups that will enable the people of east Portland to decide who they want to be their standard-bearer going forward. We are a democratic party and we are a grassroots party. And we are a party that believes in organisation,” Golding concluded.

During the divisional conference, veteran councillor of 36 years, Dexter Rowland, was elected by acclamation as the standard-bearer for the Port Antonio division.