Incumbent People’s National Party Councillor for the Dry Harbour Division in St Ann, Arthur Clemetson, will be contesting the November 28 Local Government election.
However, although he will be returning to his division, this time it will be as an independent candidate.
Clemetson is beaming with confidence that he will again be victorious.
Clemetson’s decision to run as an independent candidate follows action by the PNP to replace him as their candidate.
Describing the move as highly disrespectful, he said that he was left with no alternative but to offer himself as an independent candidate. “Several people in the division strongly requested me to stay on as their councillor and so I have decided to honour their request,” Clemetson said.
He said the PNP has lost heart and has no regard for those who had made sacrifices to build the party and who are willing to continue to be of service to the party. Mr Clemetson said he expects to win the Dry Harbour Division and prove to the PNP that it has lost its way.
Since the year 2008, the PNP had written off Dry Harbour as a division that could not be won by the party. However, Mr Clemetson said he was not deterred and he continued to do the ground work, mobilizing and organizing people until finally in 2012 he was able to reap success by becoming the Councillor for the division.
“They should have been proud of my stewardship but they were not,” he said. “What really hurts me is that I was able to transform a JLP stronghold into a PNP seat and won it by the largest majority in the constituency and instead of recognizing me for that effort, they move to replace me”.
Mr Clemetson described North West St Ann MP Dr Dayton Campbell as most ungrateful.
“I helped to groom him. He came into the constituency nine weeks before the election and I was kept very busy throughout the period leading up to the election; because in addition to teaching him politics, as a young and inexperienced candidate, I had to be carrying him around and introducing him to the people. But once he got elected, he severed all relationship with me,” Clemetson claimed, adding that even though he was elected councillor, Dr Campbell paid him no attention and has never given him a dime to spend in the division.
However, Mr Clemetson is proud to remind the people that with the little allocation he was able to receive from the Parish Council, he has done well. He also wants the people to know that many times he had to dip into his pocket and use his own personal funds to assist residents in need and to do work in the division.
Due to his hard work and his many years of commitment to the Dry Harbour Division, Mr Clemetson is confident of a victory at the polls. He is appealing to all registered voters to turn out in their numbers on Election Day and ensure that he returns as councillor for the division.
