MP for North Central St Andrew, Karl Samuda is an accomplished politician.

He has served for more than four decades and is the only Jamaican politician to win his seat for both the PNP and the JLP.

Karl Samuda has held major cabinet positions. He is a former Minister of Industry, Commerce and Agriculture former Minister of Education and has been a Minister of Labour and Social Security. 

The silver fox has been a major JLP operative once holding the position of General Secretary of the party. 

At 82 years old is a veteran but remains a senior statesman of the party whose counsel and experience should be heeded.

Earlier this week he was unceremoniously discarded when it was announced by the present General Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Dr Horace Chang that Karl Sumuda will not be representing his citadel of North Central St Andrew in the upcoming general election.

It now transpires that he was not informed of this before the announcement and rightfully feels miffed given his years of service to the JLP. 

“I have not had a discussion nor was I told that this announcement was pending let alone know that it would be done. I was not told. I would have expected at least a discussion would be held with me that this statement was being contemplated. I believe that should have been so after what I have done.

“Everyone appreciates the fact that after a certain length of service, there will come a time when you wish to withdraw and give a younger person an opportunity to go forward. But there are certain preconditions before that can take place, the least of which is the common courtesy that I owe the people who have given me their full support on both sides of the political divide. As you know, I stood with both the PNP and the JLP and won in the same seat. Until those preconditions are properly managed and the communication flow is appropriate, I was more than surprised that this kind of announcement was made without any reference to me,” said Samuda in response to Dr Chang’s announcement.

It is difficult to take issue with what Samuda says here. The man deserves due respect and this was not handled well at all. One of the JLP’s most faithful servants has been left to feel discarded and redundant, tossed out and that leads to acrimony and resentment.

The JLP’s high command including the Prime Minister should have communicated to Samuda its plans for him and the role he will now play going forward.

Karl Samuda would win North Central St Andrew at the next general election. It is supposition if anyone else can. The general election in 2025 will be a closer battle than in 2020. The JLP will need to hold what should be guaranteed seats. North Central St Andrew is not a JLP enclave: it is a Karl Samuda enclave so why not make this next general election his swan song? Let him go out on his shield. He is a battle-tested political warrior who has delivered for decades. Yes, he is now a greybeard but nonetheless a winner. Why take an unnecessary risk now? 

I have known Karl Samuda for a number of years now. He is a good man, an adept and wily politician.  He is a patriotic, proven statesman. Looking at the arc of his life, he is a man in full. He was educated both in Jamaica and Canada. His wife Pauline is a lovely woman and together they have played their part in moving Jamaica forward. They have three sons who turned out well. Jordan is a fine young man doing good things as a senior executive at Sandals. Karl Samuda is also a farmer. In some ways, he is like Roman Emperor Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, a statesman with a farming background who loves the bucolic life. 

Back in 2012, Karl Samuda invited me to spend Labour Day in his constituency and see the work that was being done there. It is a day I will remember for the rest of my days.  It was watching a master at work. He is well regarded and there is plenty of affection for him there. While being a patrician figure he is also avuncular.  They love him there and that’s easy to see. He knows his constituency inside out and is aware of his constituents’ wants and needs. He knows the grandfathers, sons and grandchildren-generations have benefited from his patronage. He eats fish with them and, enquires how people are doing at work, how the children are doing at school. He co-opts them into community service and sees to it that roads are built. Karl Samuda is the Godfather of North Central St. Andrew.

Younger politicians with aspirations can learn from him. Today too many are under the impression that a good social media campaign is all that is needed and they spend little time in their constituency getting to know the people who are expected to vote for them.

Samuda spoke about the shortcomings of this approach to winning elections in September 2022. 

“Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can help but it cannot make you win a seat. Some people believe that exposing their image constantly on a phone will make them sufficiently popular to win. It will expose your name, but what will make you succeed is to walk and greet the people, eat with the people and sleep with the people if you have to.

“Pretty pictures won’t cut it. If it was a question of who could paste up more posters, I would lose. When I ran I won by 5,800 votes in 1980. The point is, treat the people with respect and show them the love you have for them in your heart, you don’t have to run and kiss up everybody.”

Samuda has demonstrated time and time again the art of winning elections in some cases against the odds.

In November 2013, Karl Samuda was instrumental in seeing the then unfancied Andrew Holness beating Audley Shaw in a JLP leadership standoff. Holness secured 2,704 delegates to Shaw’s 2,012. He has remained loyal to Holness since. That’s another reason why he must be shown respect.  Never forget or refuse to help those who help you get to where you are.

In an interview with Samuda , I asked him why Holness defeated Shaw. He explained that Shaw had infinitely more resources and had financial backing from big business leaders. However they met with delegates in school and community halls , going around tables securing their support. Shaw held big jamboree events with plenty of dancing, food and drink but no commitments. Everyone had a good time on his dime.

The campaign implemented by Samuda was genius. And again shows his aptitude and employment of winning strategies. 

To treat him this way now declaring time on his political representational career without telling him does him a disservice and is unbecoming. His contribution to the revival of the JLP cannot be discounted. He still has a lot to offer-even at 82.