Lennon Richards, JLP candidate for St. Mary Central. - Photo courtesy of the Jamaica Labour Party

If you regard nearly 3,000 votes as a safe majority in politics, chances are Lennon Richards will think you are crazy.

He tells The Sunday Gleaner he is going to win Central St. Mary, a constituency that has been loyal to the People's National Party since Independence.

Richards - who was campaign manager for Verna Parchment in the 2002 General Election when she rescued North West St. Ann for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) over Arnold Bertram - is taking aim at Dr. Morais Guy in Central St. Mary.

The Sunday Gleaner calls him an underdog, but he is adamant that he should not be viewed that way as he will be winning the seat for the JLP.

"I have made massive inroads in this seat and I am more than confident of victory," Mr. Richards asserts.

He adds that when he got nominated last Tuesday, more than 3,000 persons turned up to see him ensure that his name would be on the ballot.

Serious turning point

"This is a serious turning point in the political history of St. Mary," he says.

Further, Mr. Richards resents being called an underdog.

"I want to be treated as a challenger to the seat of Central St. Mary ... When I win, it will not be an upset," he says.

Unlike many candidates who use their first attempt atwin a seat as a springboard for a serious challenge at another time, the first-time entrant said his role now is not stage setting.

"I am not here to break down any barriers now, I am winning the election come August 27," he contends.

Owner of ACID security company, Mr. Richards said that the PNP has failed Central St. Mary and he is the answer to the constituency's problems.

When The Sunday Gleaner visited Central St. Mary last month, some PNP supporters said Dr. Guy had not represented them well but they were voting for the party because of their love for Portia Simpson Miller, the PNP president.

Mr. Richards says that is nonsense and PNP supporters are changing course in Central St. Mary.

"The tide has changed towards Lennon Richards. I am now a household name in Central St. Mary," he boasts.

Some 19,214 persons were on the voters' list in 2002 and it has marginally increased to 19,651 on the current list. Mr. Richards claims that included in that number are almost 3,000 new voters who his party has enumerated.

- D.L.