With the polls showing that his favourability rating has improved in recent weeks of campaigning, People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding is very confident he will be victorious when the polls close today.

“I think people find me authentic and reliable, trustworthy, honest, and I think that goes a long way in the modern world, especially where we are in Jamaica today,” Golding told reporters after casting his vote in the North East St Andrew Constituency, where PNP newcomer Stacey Knight is seeking to unseat JLP stalwart Delroy Chuck. 

Golding himself is relatively new to representational politics, having entered the fray in 2017.  “That’s not very long ago for somebody to become the leader of the party three years later, and the last four and a half [to] five years, I’ve just been doing the work to build back the party, unify the party, get Jamaicans to know who Mark Golding is, and I feel it’s paid off, and people are going to reward us today with this victory,” he said. 

He’s confident of a victory despite his party not having as much to spend on advertising during the campaign. Advertisements from the PNP were significantly fewer than those of the JLP during the weeks of campaigning leading up to September 3. 

“The governing party has a tremendous advantage with the media. I think the Government is the biggest buyer of media time, and this government has used the media spend that the Government has, in a way which has politicised the advertising over the last few months,” Golding said. 

“I think that is something that we have to look at as a country, because I don’t think it’s right that government resources should be used to promote the political fortunes of the government in power, and I think that has to be revisited,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Golding was among the earliest set of voters who turned out to cast their ballots this morning.

Golding turned up at the Rosemary Nethersole’s Premises at 3 Dillsbury Avenue, Kingston 6, at approximately 7:00 am along with his wife, Sandra.

“I encourage all persons on the voter’s list to come out and cast their vote and exercise that right which we should not take for granted, and help to choose the government of their choice,” he said. 

“I’m confident. I feel that we have reached the point where there’s a kind of irreversible wave of support for us. That’s the feeling. That’s the impression. That is the vibe that I have felt all over Jamaica since we’ve published our manifesto, since we’ve won the debates, since our ad campaign,” he said. 

“It has been hard work, of course, which I like, and I’ve been on the road all over Jamaica. I’ve visited places I’ve never heard of before, experience a lot of very bad roads, and a lot of frustrated people; tired of the conditions in which they live in their communities with the road and water situation that they have, so it’s been a good experience really feeling the heartbeat of the people, sharing with them, the struggles of their daily lives and honing our message around what we think are the necessary changes that need to be made to take Jamaica forward from where we are now,” he said. 

To go into Jamaica House, Golding and the PNP will have to secure a net swing of around 18 seats in their favour.

He is expecting that to become a reality, with, for example, the fresh-faced Stacy Knight, daughter of former politician KD Knight, pulling off a historic win in North East St Andrew, where she is facing off with the incumbent Delroy Chuck, who is in his twilight years and has said this might be his last time running.