Denise Reid, Freelance Writer

Western Bureau:

Dr Karl Blythe, former minister of water and housing, is to return to representational politics.

Sources close to the former People's National Party (PNP) member of parliament for Central Westmoreland say he is eyeing the West Central St James constituency.

Stopping short of admitting his plans to re-enter the political arena on Sunday, Blythe told party supporters at a divisional conference meeting at the Granville All-Age School that he would be seeking divine intervention before making a decision.

"West Central, it would be my joy to be your representative," Blythe told the gathering. "But I and I don't operate like that. I will kneel in consultation with the Father," he said. "The Father tell me to go and rest. The Father tell me to deal with other matters now, so that I can be stronger to help you in the future."

He added: "So, if the Father sends me, the Father will tell me, the Father will tell you, and I will not hesitate to answer the trumpet when it sounds for me to come to West Central."

Stepped down in 2007

Blythe stepped down from active politics prior to the 2007 general election.

The former government minister told the gathering that the citizens of Jamaica now realise that the PNP are better managers. He, however, stressed that regardless of what opinion polls showed, unless the members of the party became united, they would not be able to defeat the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

"A JLP can never defeat a united PNP. We defeated ourselves in the last general election because we weren't united," Blythe said.

The current member of parliament for the constituency is the JLP's Clive Mullings.