Robert Lalah, Staff Reporter
Prime Minister and president of the People's National Party P.J. Patterson (third left) is surrounded by the four contenders seeking to replace him as party president in today's presidential election scheduled for Jamaica College, St. Andrew. From left are PNP Vice-Presidents Dr. Karl Blythe; Local Government, Community Development and Sport Minister, Portia Simpson Miller; National Security Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips; and Finance and Planning Minister Dr. Omar Davies. Occasion was Mr. Patterson's last meeting with the candidates yesterday at the party's Old Hope Road headquarters. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
ON YOUR marks, get set, go! Yes, the big day is finally here. The troops have been rallied and the runners are now steadily positioned at the starting blocks. Today, a new president will be selected to man the helm of the 68-year-old People's National Party (PNP).
The winner is expected to become Jamaica's seventh Prime Minister.
PNP delegates will today make their voices heard as they head out to Jamaica College in St. Andrew to cast their votes in the much anticipated election, which will decide who will replace Prime Minister P.J. Patterson.
The nearly 4,000 delegates eligible to vote will be choosing among the four candidates who have been on the campaign trail for more than a year. The candidates are Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, Minister of Local Government, Community Development and Sport, Portia Simpson Miller, Finance Minister, Dr. Omar Davies, and party vice-president, Dr. Karl Blythe.
Hotels in the Corporate Area are reportedly booked solid with delegates being put up by the respective candidates.
Activities are scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m., with the opening of registration and screening areas. Voting begins at 9:00 a.m. when the polling stations open, and close at 2:00 p.m. Voting will be done by secret ballot. By 6:00 p.m. the winner will be announced at the party's headquarters at Old Hope Road, St. Andrew.
Apart from Electoral Office of Jamaica officials and four monitors the candidates are granted to observe the counting process, only the delegates will be allowed on the Jamaica College compound.
POLICE COVERAGE
Meantime, the police, assisted by soldiers, are expected to
be out in full force today,
providing security for the PNP
conference.
In addition to manning the conference site at Jamaica College, the police will be keeping an eye on political hot spots like Central Village, St. Catherine. Special focus will also be placed on the adjacent Corporate Area constituencies represented by contenders Portia Simpson Miller, Dr. Peter Phillips and Dr. Omar Davies. "We are insisting that order be (also) maintained on the roads ,"Deputy Commissioner Linval Bailey told reporters yesterday.
JUTC CHANGES
The Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC) has made several changes to its normal daily schedules to facilitate the PNP presidential election today. Commuters travelling on routes 61, 66, 68, 77 and 78 will see the buses turned off Old Hope Road in the vicinity of Fairway Avenue and return to Old Hope Road via Seaview Avenue. These changes will take place between noon and 9:00 p.m., and will not affect persons going to Stanton Terrace.
Due to the traffic changes made by the police for the election, commuters will not be allowed to disembark at the bus stop outside of Jamaica College. "The bus stop outside of Jamaica College will not be in use from 6:00 a.m. until it's released by the police on duty," said the JUTC in a statement
yesterday.
Commuters wishing to go to Jamaica College would have to disembark at the bus stops after or before reaching Jamaica College.
