Roy Sanford,Staff Reporter
Tufton
WESTERN BUREAU: DR. CHRISTOPHER Tufton, 34, lecturer in the Department of Management Studies, University of the West Indies, Mona, was yesterday elected chairman of the Jamaica Labour Party's St. Elizabeth South West constituency, beating his rival, Keith Reynolds, by 129 votes. Mr. Reynolds got 55 votes.
"It was a good day for the Jamaica Labour Party," said Dr. Horace Chang, a deputy leader of the JLP. "Eighty-five per cent of the eligible voters turned out and everything went on smoothly."
Speaking to The Gleaner after his victory, Dr. Tufton said his primary aim was to use the JLP to provide leadership in the constituency. "We need to restore the JLP as a winnable alternative in this constituency," he said. "There is a strong JLP population here and we have been losing narrowly over the years. I intend to close the gap and winnability is important."
TRAINING FOR THE YOUTH
The constituency is now represented in the House of Representatives by Donald Buchanan of the People's National Party, Minister of Water and Housing.
Dr. Tufton said he based his campaign on several issues, including providing water to constituents, the fixing of roads, more electrification, tourism, training for the youth, and farming.
"In the short term, I would really like to see more assistance being given to those who suffered damage from Hurricane Charley," Dr. Tufton said.
Dr. Tufton's victory came against the background of allegation of vote-buying in the constituency, a charge he denied. "I am not into vote-buying," he said. "What I am into is to show that the JLP can win the seat in the next general election."
About 200 delegates were expected to cast their ballots to select the new chairman, Dr. Chang said.
The polls arose when Derrick Sangster, who lost four elections, resigned as chairman, effective September 1.
Dr. Chang said that Mr. Reynolds will remain an integral part of the JLP's team. "We are going to keep him in the frontline of the Jamaica Labour Party," he said.
