CONSTITUENCY PROFILE: ST ANDREW WESTERN

A safe PNP seat
Anthony Myers
Contributor

ST. ANDREW Western is indeed a safe PNP seat in the upcoming general election. The incumbent MP is O.T. Williams and he is being challenged by Joyce Young of the JLP and Curtis Campbell of the NJA-NDM.

St. Andrew Western was among the 32 constituencies fixed in the new Constitution granted to Jamaica in 1944. The constituency of St. Andrew Western is comprised within the area bounded from a point where the Washington Boulevard meets the Ferry River, southerly along the eastern side of the Ferry River to the seacoast, along the sea coast to a point opposite Twickenham Close, thence on a straight line to Twickenham Close, northerly along the western side of Twickenham Close to Spanish Town Road. From there it goes westerly along the southern side of Spanish Town Road to Simon Taylor Road, northerly along the western side of Simon Taylor Road to the Dry Gully, along the Dry Gully to Bay Farm Road, north westerly along the Bay Farm Road, northerly in an imaginary line to the Sandy Gully, from this point along the western boundary of Drews Land Housing Estate to Washington Boulevard, westerly along the southern side of Washington Boulevard to Waterhouse Drive. It then travels, northerly along the western side of Waterhouse Drive to the gully, along the gully to the foothills, to the Ferry River, southerly along the eastern side of the Ferry River to the starting point.

This constituency was the domain of the JLP from 1944-1955. In 1944 E.R. Dudley Evans (JLP), polled 6,421 votes to defeat Edith Dalton-James (PNP), by a 2,709 majority. In 1949, Rose Agatha Leon polled 13,625 votes to defeat by a 1,626 majority, W.M. Seivright (PNP), who polled 11,639 votes. In the 1959 boundaries adjustment, Western St. Andrew was divided into two constituencies and named St. Andrew West Rural and West Central. Arthur Leon won West Rural for the JLP and William Seivright won West Central for the PNP. In 1976, the St. Andrew Western constituency was restored, the size and voting population considerably reduced in comparison to the original Western 1944-1955.

With minor boundary changes in 1986 and 1992, the PNP has dominated this seat winning all five contested parliamentary general elections ­ 1976, 1980, 1989, 1993 and 1997. In 1976, David Coore massacred the JLP candidate Colin Williams winning by a majority of 8,149. In the JLP landslide of 1980, in spite of every attempt made to prevent Dudley Thompson from retaining the seat, the PNP won the seat by 85 votes. In 1989 Onel Williams polled 10,298 votes to Lee Clarke (JLP), 7,223 ­ a majority 3,075.

In the 1993 general election, Onel Williams retained the seat for the PNP with a massive majority of 10,049 votes over the JLP candidate, Owen Stephenson. In 1997, the incumbent O.T. Williams polled 9,822 votes to defeat by a 6,648 majority, Lee R. Clarke (JLP) who polled 3,174 votes. When one considers that such result was achieved by a party seeking an unprecedented third term, it can be said without fear of contradiction that St. Andrew Western is PNP territory and indeed, a safe PNP seat in the upcoming general election.

GENERAL ELECTIONS (PARLIAMENTARY) ­ PROJECTION

2002
E/L	23,907
A/B	15,540 (65.0%)
PNP	11,344 (73.0%)
JLP	4,196 (27.0%)
Majority (PNP)	7,148

GENERAL ELECTIONS (SUMMARY) 1944-1997

1944
E/L	24,836
B/C	13,175
A/B	12,597
R/B	578
Edith Dalton-James, PNP	3,712
E.R. Dudley Evans, JLP	6,421
Arthur P. Hanson, IND.	333
Eleazer E. McLaughlin, JDP.	2,131

1949
E/L	34,357
B/C	23,198
A/B	22,911
R/B	187
H.E.V. Brown, IND.	203
Edith Dalton-James, PNP	10,225
E.R. Dudley Evans, AIP	294
Rose Agatha Leon, JLP	11,715
Eleazer E. McLaughlin, INP.	474

1955
E/L	41,944
B/C	25,860
A/B	25,564
R/B	296
M.G. Edwards, FP	660
Rose Agatha Leon, JLP	13,265
W.M. Seivright, PNP	11,639

1976
E/L	17,168
B/C	15,260
A/B	15,173
R/B	87
David Coore	11,661
Colin Williamson, JLP	3,512

1980
E/L	22,613
B/C	19,067
A/B	18,642
R/B	425
Owen Stephenson, JLP	9,227
Dudley Thompson, PNP	9,312
Beverley Wright, IND.	97
Maria Wyles, IND.	6

1983
E/L	2,613
Pat Stephens, JLP	(elected unopposed by acclamation)

1989
E/L	22,587
B/C	18,044
A/B	17,561
R/B	483
Lee R. Clarke, JLP	7,223
Don Jenkins, IND.	40
Onel Williams, PNP	10,298

1993
E/L	20,043
B/C	14,109
A/B	13,625
R/B	484
Owen Stephenson, JLP	1,788
Onel T. Williams, PNP	11,837

1997
E/L	22,200
B/C	13,988 (63.0%)
A/B	13,292 (95.0%)
R/B	696 (5.0%)
Onel T. Williams, PNP	9,822 (73.9%)
Lee R. Clarke, JLP	3,174 (23.9%)
Nelson R. Quarry, NDM	265 (2.0%)
Leroy Lindsay, IND.	31 (0.2%)
Majority PNP	7,148

NOTE:
E/L:	Electors on List
B/C:	Ballots Cast
A/B:	Accepted Ballots
R/B:	Rejected Ballots