Vassell vows to deliver ‘killer blow’ to PNP in St Andrew East Central
Published:Tuesday | June 17, 2025 | 12:05 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
“My turn to deliver the killer blow!”
Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) standard-bearer for St Andrew East Central, Davion Vassell, says he is ready to land the final strike needed to win the seat from the People’s National Party (PNP).
Vassell, addressing supporters at the constituency’s conference held at Tarrant High School on Sunday, credited his predecessor, Jodian Myrie, who, he claims, was the pivot that has set him on a trajectory to claim victory in the constituency.
“Jodian Myrie had the then opposition leader (Dr Peter Phillips) biting his fingernails on the night of the general election [in 2020], so I want to big up Jodian Myrie. You have weakened the PNP stronghold in East Central St Andrew, and now it’s my turn to deliver the killer blow!” Vassell declared, drawing loud cheers and shouts of affirmation from the audience.
Myrie polled 4,086 votes in a failed bid to unseat the multi-term member of parliament, who secured 4,845 votes.
Charging party supporters to “embrace prosperity”, Vassell pointed to what he described as years of stagnation under Phillips.
“We’ve had the same member of parliament for 34 years. What legacy has he left behind? The roads are poor. No social infrastructure. Sports have died. There are no active community centres in the constituency,” Vassel criticised.
Turning his attention to national issues, Vassell told supporters that despite the claims of critics, Jamaica was on the right path under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness.
“Every time I talk about the achievements of the Jamaica Labour Party, I have that one PNP person who says, ‘Oh, that was under the mandate of the People’s National Party’, but what that means is, while they talk, we do. While they pontificate, we get things done in this party.”
Vassell also cited statistics relating to youth unemployment and crime, expressing confidence in the trajectory of the country under the Holness administration.
In the 2020 general election, Phillips retained the East Central St Andrew seat with 4,963 votes, while his JLP challenger, Myrie, garnered 3,881 votes. Vassell has cited the numbers as being indicative of the constituency’s potential swing in the next election. Councillor for the Maxfield Park Division Dennis Gordon is set to replace Phillips as the PNP’s candidate for the constituency.
Similar sentiments were shared by Rhoda Moy Crawford, first-term member of parliament for Manchester Central.
Asserting that Vassell is a transformational figure, Crawford likened his prospects to her own 2020 political upset, when she defeated heavyweight incumbent Peter Bunting in a result that stunned PNP supporters.