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The PNP's rural garrison
published: Monday | June 11, 2007
Garwin Davis, Gleaner Writer
With the exception of the snap elections of 1983, which the People's National Party (PNP) boycotted, the majority of constituents in South East St. Ann have never voted for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) since the granting of adult suffrage in 1944.
In fact, the closest the JLP has ever come to winning the seat was in 1980 when its candidate Wally Goldsmith lost a bitterly fought campaign by an agonising 561 votes to the PNP's Seymour Mullings.
Even today, senior members of the JLP remain convinced that had the party not prematurely written-off the seat as a 'can't - win' constituency or had it paid more attention to election day activities, including proper monitoring of the movement of ballot boxes, Goldsmith would have beaten Mullings.
Here is Opposition Leader Bruce Golding's take on what happened in 1980. "I have to take some of the blame as the constituency meeting was cancelled at the last minute as it couldn't fit into Edward Seaga's (then party leader) schedule and Wally Goldsmith bawled like a baby," Golding recounts.
Hard time
"Hugh Shearer said he would come, but he couldn't get a hold of Goldsmith and that was that. Had we worked a little harder, had we done everything that was required, the JLP would have won in 1980 and could have cemented itself and wouldn't have as hard a time as we have been having over the years," said Mr. Golding. "It is very much the same situation as in North East St. Ann where Shahinie Robinson broke the PNP's stranglehold in 2001 and has done a great job in cementing her name there."
He continued: "I saw Wally Goldsmith shortly after the election and personally apologised to him. This is a mistake we will never make again and we will be doing a tour of the area next Thursday."
South East St. Ann, in terms of boundaries and square miles, is easily the biggest of the four St. Ann constituencies. It includes areas such as Lodge, Claremont, Bamboo, Mile End, Union Pen, Moneague, Orange Park, Bensonton, Calderwood, Woodstock, Trafalgar, Golden Grove, Goshen, Hopewell, French-land, Great Interior Road and Tawes Road.
When the constituency was created, Dr. Ivan Lloyd beat the JLP's Flavius McKinley. He continued his dominance in the St. Ann South-Eastern constituency until he left representational politics.
Following Dr. Lloyd's resignation, a by-election was announced for March 17, 1969 to fill the vacancy. The two candidates were Seymour St. Edward Mullings (PNP), and interestingly, Garland A. S. Lloyd (JLP) a son of Dr. Lloyd.
First sign
That would be the first sign that South East St. Ann was indeed 'PNP country'. Despite cam-paigning side by side with his young son, Dr. Lloyd simply could not overcome the fact that Garland was wearing the 'wrong' colours. Young Lloyd was devastated at the polls, as Mullings gave him a handsome beating.
It was also the beginning of the Seymour Mullings era.
Mullings, who has been a member of the PNP for nearly 50 years, like Dr. Lloyd, has never lost in a general election.
With the exception of 1980, when he nearly lost to Goldsmith, Mullings has demolished every opponent that has been thrown his way, winning by very wide margins. In fact, in seven contests, he never faced the same opponent twice.
Highly respected by both friends and opponents, partly because of what party insiders call his non-confrontational style, Mullings is considered one of those straight-faced politicians whose integrity even after so many years on the political gridiron, has never been called into question.
"Politics is about meeting people and eyeballing people," said Mullings. "It is about making people understand that you care, it is about listening. Even now I get calls from people at five in the morning," he said while commenting on the secret to his success.
And what about what is taking place today in the constituency, especially with the selection process and the emergence of Lisa Hanna as the prospective candidate. "It is pretty much a fait accompli, so it is pointless to argue for or against now," Mullings states.
"I made my views known at the meeting the other night and that was that. I will tell you, though, that I was privileged to have been given the opportunity to serve the constituency for 32 years and today I still have wonderful memories.
I would hope that whoever the next Member of Parliament will be, that person will recognise that it is the people who matter; that effective representation is about working with the people."
Hanna is expected to replace Aloun Assamba who will not be seeking re-election.
A close-up look at the politics of South East St Ann
In 1959 when the constituency was created Dr. Ivan Lloyd (PNP) polled 7,334 votes to Flavius McKinley's (JLP) 1,584
Dr. Lloyd, also won by significant margins in 1944, 1949, 1955.
He again won in 1962 and 1967 before he resigned from Parliament in 1969.
In the 1969 bi-election Seymour Mullings polled 5,632 votes to Garland Lloyd's 2,488.
In 1972, 1976, 1989, 1993 and 1997 elections Mullings had majorities of 5,107; 5,445; 5,766; 5,250 and 5,713 respectively.
In 2002 Aloun Assamba picked up where Mullings left off defeating Peter Fakhourie by more than 3000 votes.
published: Monday | June 11, 2007
Garwin Davis, Gleaner Writer
With the exception of the snap elections of 1983, which the People's National Party (PNP) boycotted, the majority of constituents in South East St. Ann have never voted for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) since the granting of adult suffrage in 1944.
In fact, the closest the JLP has ever come to winning the seat was in 1980 when its candidate Wally Goldsmith lost a bitterly fought campaign by an agonising 561 votes to the PNP's Seymour Mullings.
Even today, senior members of the JLP remain convinced that had the party not prematurely written-off the seat as a 'can't - win' constituency or had it paid more attention to election day activities, including proper monitoring of the movement of ballot boxes, Goldsmith would have beaten Mullings.
Here is Opposition Leader Bruce Golding's take on what happened in 1980. "I have to take some of the blame as the constituency meeting was cancelled at the last minute as it couldn't fit into Edward Seaga's (then party leader) schedule and Wally Goldsmith bawled like a baby," Golding recounts.
Hard time
"Hugh Shearer said he would come, but he couldn't get a hold of Goldsmith and that was that. Had we worked a little harder, had we done everything that was required, the JLP would have won in 1980 and could have cemented itself and wouldn't have as hard a time as we have been having over the years," said Mr. Golding. "It is very much the same situation as in North East St. Ann where Shahinie Robinson broke the PNP's stranglehold in 2001 and has done a great job in cementing her name there."
He continued: "I saw Wally Goldsmith shortly after the election and personally apologised to him. This is a mistake we will never make again and we will be doing a tour of the area next Thursday."
South East St. Ann, in terms of boundaries and square miles, is easily the biggest of the four St. Ann constituencies. It includes areas such as Lodge, Claremont, Bamboo, Mile End, Union Pen, Moneague, Orange Park, Bensonton, Calderwood, Woodstock, Trafalgar, Golden Grove, Goshen, Hopewell, French-land, Great Interior Road and Tawes Road.
When the constituency was created, Dr. Ivan Lloyd beat the JLP's Flavius McKinley. He continued his dominance in the St. Ann South-Eastern constituency until he left representational politics.
Following Dr. Lloyd's resignation, a by-election was announced for March 17, 1969 to fill the vacancy. The two candidates were Seymour St. Edward Mullings (PNP), and interestingly, Garland A. S. Lloyd (JLP) a son of Dr. Lloyd.
First sign
That would be the first sign that South East St. Ann was indeed 'PNP country'. Despite cam-paigning side by side with his young son, Dr. Lloyd simply could not overcome the fact that Garland was wearing the 'wrong' colours. Young Lloyd was devastated at the polls, as Mullings gave him a handsome beating.
It was also the beginning of the Seymour Mullings era.
Mullings, who has been a member of the PNP for nearly 50 years, like Dr. Lloyd, has never lost in a general election.
With the exception of 1980, when he nearly lost to Goldsmith, Mullings has demolished every opponent that has been thrown his way, winning by very wide margins. In fact, in seven contests, he never faced the same opponent twice.
Highly respected by both friends and opponents, partly because of what party insiders call his non-confrontational style, Mullings is considered one of those straight-faced politicians whose integrity even after so many years on the political gridiron, has never been called into question.
"Politics is about meeting people and eyeballing people," said Mullings. "It is about making people understand that you care, it is about listening. Even now I get calls from people at five in the morning," he said while commenting on the secret to his success.
And what about what is taking place today in the constituency, especially with the selection process and the emergence of Lisa Hanna as the prospective candidate. "It is pretty much a fait accompli, so it is pointless to argue for or against now," Mullings states.
"I made my views known at the meeting the other night and that was that. I will tell you, though, that I was privileged to have been given the opportunity to serve the constituency for 32 years and today I still have wonderful memories.
I would hope that whoever the next Member of Parliament will be, that person will recognise that it is the people who matter; that effective representation is about working with the people."
Hanna is expected to replace Aloun Assamba who will not be seeking re-election.
A close-up look at the politics of South East St Ann
In 1959 when the constituency was created Dr. Ivan Lloyd (PNP) polled 7,334 votes to Flavius McKinley's (JLP) 1,584
Dr. Lloyd, also won by significant margins in 1944, 1949, 1955.
He again won in 1962 and 1967 before he resigned from Parliament in 1969.
In the 1969 bi-election Seymour Mullings polled 5,632 votes to Garland Lloyd's 2,488.
In 1972, 1976, 1989, 1993 and 1997 elections Mullings had majorities of 5,107; 5,445; 5,766; 5,250 and 5,713 respectively.
In 2002 Aloun Assamba picked up where Mullings left off defeating Peter Fakhourie by more than 3000 votes.