Holness will continue to go until West Central St Andrew says no
Ainsworth Morris / Our Today
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Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has represented his West Central St Andrew constituency for nearly three decades, and he doesn’t foresee himself quitting anytime soon.
In fact, Holness Holness said it is up to the people to decide when it’s time to pack it up.
“As I said upstairs, I feel like I could do seven more,” Holness said on Monday in response to a journalist after being nominated to contest the general election set for Wednesday, September 3. “…and I will continue to serve as long as the people want me to serve.”
Dr Holness has held the West Central, St Andrew seat since 1997, when he defeated the People’s National Party (PNP) candidate, and he said that his constituents are like family.
“When I came here in 1997, this seat was won by the PNP with a margin of 4,000 votes. I couldn’t walk come up to here [where he was standing] in peace. I have built a bond with the people here. They consider me part of their family, and I consider myself part of their family, and I consider them to be my family. That’s the level of relationship that we have, whether it’s JLP or PNP,” Holness said.
“And I was reflecting in the nomination room, just how things have changed. I can walk anywhere, and there’s no aggression. There’s no confrontation, and that is largely because of how I’ve conducted myself here. How I’ve embraced everyone and given access to everyone, and it speaks volumes to the level of democracy, the maturity of the democracy here,” he said.
The PNP’s Paul Buchanan will try to wrest the seat from Holness and the JLP come September 3.
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