• Keen contest anticipated

In1959, as a result of an advancement in the constitution, 45 constituencies were provided for Jamaica, 13 over the 32 which had been fixed from 1944. St. Andrew East Rural which evolved from the old Eastern St. Andrew, was among the 13 newly created constituencies.

Of the eight contested Parliamentary General Elections 1959 - 1993, the PNP won six times to the JLP's two. In 1959 Keble Munn (PNP) defeated Wilson Hill (JLP) by 1,519. He retained the seat for the PNP in 1962 when he polled 10,967 votes to Lynford A. McGann (JLP) 6,881. The 1967 boundaries adjustments saw the creation of South Eastern St. Andrew. Keble Munn shifted to the new South Eastern constituency while newcomers E. G. G. Barrett (PNP) and David Lindo (JLP), squared off in the much-reduced-in-size East Rural St. Andrew. In a close contest, David Lindo defeated E. G. G. Barrett, but failed in his bid for a second term in the 1972 election. In an extremely close election, Eric Bell pipped the incumbent David Lindo by 272 votes.

In 1976, Roy McGann (PNP) had a comfortable victory over Oswald Harding (JLP). PNP 8,710: JLP 5,929: majority 2,781. In the 1980 General Election Joan Gordon (JLP) defeated Lloyd Stulz (PNP) by a massive 4,611 majority.

In the 1989 general election, E. G. G. Barrett wrestled the seat from the incumbent Joan Gordon-Webley, giving the PNP yet another hold on the St. Andrew East Rural constituency.

In 1993, with Joan Gordon-Webley having fallen out of grace with the JLP leadership, trade unionist Rudyard Spencer was selected to represent the JLP in East Rural St. Andrew.

There was a three-way contest in which Horace Clue (PNP) polled 6,148 votes to Rudyard Spencer (JLP) 3,267 and Joan Gordon-Webley (IND) 719. With the return of Oswald Harding (JLP) who lost to Roy McGann in 1976 (East Rural St. Andrew) and John Junor in 1993 (Manchester Central), the contest will be very keen as André Foot (NDM) is no lamb to the slaughter. Can Oswald Harding return to St. Andrew East Rural after 21 years and deny the incumbent Horace Clue a second term? With a 33.9 per cent increase in the voters list, the party that commands the greatest support among the new voters will surely win.