Jamaica Labour Party candidate for North East St Catherine, Gregory Mair (centre), enjoys the company of his supporters on Nomination Day in the Riversdale community yesterday. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer The flow of traffic was reduced to a crawl in the St Catherine valley of Riversdale as thousands of persons converged in the community to witness Nomination Day activities ahead of the June 16 by-election in the north east of the parish.
The narrow and winding rural roads could barely accommodate the flood of Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supporters, most of whom travelled through the communities in buses, cars and sports utility vehicles.
So thick was the show of 'green' that it caused traffic congestion, forcing Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller to abandon her vehicle and walk nearly a mile with her candidate, Granville Valentine to the nomination centre.
The PNP claimed that many of its supporters were prevented from accessing sections of the community because of the traffic congestion.
yet to see pnp
"You have not seen our crowd as yet. We had to come out of our vehicle to walk here because of the JLP traffic that blocked the road." Simpson Miller said.
Valentine is nominated to contest the seat against the JLP's Gregory Mair.
Mair was ousted from Parliament earlier this month after he confessed to having been a Venezuelan citizen at the time of his nomination.
The Constitution prohibits persons from sitting in the Parliament who have sworn allegiance to a foreign power on their own act.
Mair has expressed confidence that he will increase the 959-vote majority he enjoyed over Phyllis Mitchell in the 2007 general election. However, the PNP has said that Valentine is in with a fighting chance.
Political temperature has gone up a few notches in the hills and valleys of North East St Catherine. Yesterday, the atmosphere in the constituency was one replete with friendly rivalry and political bantering.
Mair's massive bell-ringing; 'showa'-chanting JLP crowd traded blows with Valentine's moderate PNP aggregation, which, despite the dreaded humid climate, held their trademark clenched fists high in Riversdale square - all acclaiming victory for their candidate.
daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com
Granville Valentine looks a picture of determination after being nominated as the People's National Party candidate for North East St Catherine.