Golding promises three ministers in W’land if PNP sweeps parish, wins election

By: Albert Ferguson

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Opposition Leader Mark Golding says should the People’s National Party (PNP) win the three parliamentary seats in Westmoreland and form the next Government of Jamaica, the parish will be rewarded with three senior positions in his administration.

According to Golding, the party’s three candidates – PNP General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell, PNP Vice-President Ian Hayles, and Dwayne Vaz – will be entrusted with national leadership responsibilities, reflecting a PNP’s commitment to deliver targeted results for the people of Westmoreland and the wider Jamaica.

“The men and women we are putting forward are people of integrity, competence, and action,” said Golding, who noted that Westmoreland could potentially boast the minister of agriculture portfolio in Campbell, who is contesting Westmoreland Eastern.

“He (Campbell) will oversee a progressive agricultural policy that puts farmers first, building farm roads, improving cold storage, and capitalising on the PC banks so that the farmers of Westmoreland and Jamaica can feed their families and this nation,” he said.

Golding said Westmoreland could also get the minister of water in the form of Hayles.

“That’s why you get a Vice-President Ian Hayles. The man who shadows water is going to be the next member of parliament in Westmoreland Western and I’ll be working closely with him because the main infrastructure needs of this country right now is water, and we have to put the necessary investment and expenditure of public funds to deliver water to the people,” he said.

Hayles, who previously served as a state minister in the Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, has been outlining numereous plans on the campaign trail to address the water issues in western Jamaica.

Golding said Vaz, who previously served as the member of parliament for Westmoreland Central, will be tasked to help address Jamaica’s crumbling local road network.

“We have done highways across the coast, but we’ve neglected the roads where our people live. That is why young Dwayne Vaz is going to be involved in the solutions to that problem in the ministry with responsibility for roads and works,” said Golding. 

Vaz, who first served as a parliamentarian in 2014, is widely seen as a grass-roots connector and effective advocate for infrastructural development in rural communities.

Golding said the inclusion of all three Westmoreland representatives in ministerial roles underlines the PNP’s recognition of the parish’s importance to Jamaica’s national development.

“We are building a team that reflects the needs of the people,” he said. “Westmoreland has been good to the PNP, and the PNP is ready to return that trust with real, tangible leadership.”

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