Green could get Tufton’s treatment, says Comrade

It’s not a popularity contest.

That’s the warning from Charmaine Simpson, a People’s National Party (PNP) worker in Bethany, St Elizabeth South West, while admitting that Jamaica Labour Party candidate Floyd Green is popular in there believes he can be beaten at the September 3 polls.

“Memba seh we beat [ Dr Christopher] Tufton already enuh. And him did a best this and best that. We beat him already and him run weh,” Simpson said in reference to the shock defeat of Tufton in 2011, even though he had been consistently thought of as the best performing minister in the Bruce Golding administration.

Tufton had served as agriculture and fisheries minister from 2007 but was also given the industry and investment portfolio in July 2011.

Green, like Tufton had been placed in the ministry overseeing the agriculture portfolio of the Government but as a state minister.

In the December 2011 general election, Tufton polled 9,440 votes, losing to Hugh Buchanan of the PNP who polled 9,453 votes to clinch the victory.

“Me not saying Green not going to be easy but if we put the focus and we go Black River and call out the people dem, then we can win because people want water and road down here,” she further reasoned.

Simpson told The Gleaner she believed the JLP is banking on young people to vote for the party and hang on to the seat come election night.

“That me hear dem a run round a talk seh. But young people nuh vote. A farmer and fisherman vote so if dem nuh have nuh road and so, then dem a go vote dem out,” Simpson reasoned.