Third parties stake their claim
Published:Tuesday | August 19, 2025 | 12:14 AMLivern Barrett/Senior Staff Reporter
There was no motorcade or throngs of supporters behind Garth Barnett as he arrived at Covenant of Mercy Academy (Alpha) to hand in his nomination papers to contest the Kingston Central constituency in the upcoming elections for the United Independent Congress (UIC) political party.
In fact, there were some anxious moments for Barnett, a community volunteer, as he awaited the arrival of one of the 10 voters who agreed to sign his nomination papers.
All 10 are friends he has known for between 10 and 30 years.
“I was a bit animated because I was waiting on one of my electors to come ... . He came, I am a bit more relaxed and I’m happy the process went smoothly,” he told journalists after he was nominated shortly after 1 p.m. on Monday.
“One of my electors had to go on an errand, and then he had a challenge in coming back here,” he explained.
By contrast, the candidates for the two main political parties who are vying for the Kingston Central constituency flexed their muscles, marching to the nomination centre almost two hours apart amid a sea of supporters.
Steve McGregor, the People’s National Party (PNP) candidate, was the first to be nominated followed by the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Donovan Williams, who is seeking a second consecutive five-year term as member of parliament following his surprise win in the 2020 general election.
With the nominations out of the way, supporters for both candidates retreated to their respective bases for a party-like atmosphere.
Barnett had no celebrations planned. Instead, his plan was to walk the constituency and look at areas “that I can pull out as much votes as possible”.
“After leaving here, it will be work and to strategise to see what I can do to ensure that I maximise whatever support is there on the ground,” he said.
The UIC, led by businessman Joseph Patterson, was expected to field at least 17 candidates in the September 3 general election, Barnett disclosed.
Another minor political organisation, the Jamaica Progressive Party (JPP), was expected to field at least 62 candidates, according to Carl Cargill, the party’s candidate for the constituency of St Andrew Eastern. At the the end of yesterday, the Electoral Office of Jamaica indicated the UIC fielded seven candidates and the JPP nominated 47.
Third parties have not fared well in national elections in Jamaica, but the UIC Kingston Central candidate insisted he was undaunted by the show of force by the PNP and the JLP.
“I am not at all intimidated. I think central Kingston is actually looking for a member of parliament that is going to represent them in a very good way,” he said, adding that the constituency needs “a lot of infrastructural development”.
Barnett said, like other minor political parties in Jamaica, the UIC is facing a challenge with funding its activities.
He said that instead of going to corporate Jamaica for financing, the party has sought to rely on its supporters and Jamaicans in the diaspora.
“Because we feel that who pays the piper calls the tune. So we are looking for alternate ways of funding, so it would free us of some of the things that are holding the political parties from doing some of the things that they would want to do for the Jamaican people,” Barnett explained.
Cargill, the JPP candidate who is seeking to unseat Minister of Finance and the Public Service Fayval Williams in St Andrew Eastern, stopped short of acknowledging that funding was also an issue for the JPP.
“We can’t disclose that ... because it’s more than just that. I don’t want to comment on that until the party puts out a statement,” he said, when asked if the party was having financial issues.
“Our president ... wanted us to wait on certain things to be in place and it never happened, and the election was called,” Cargill added, making reference to JPP President Gilbert Alexander Edwards.
He acknowledged that it could take divine intervention to unseat Williams.
“I’m trusting God, that’s all I have to say,” Cargill told The Gleaner after his nomination at Mona High School.
Barnett declined to make any prediction, saying, “I’m going to give it my best shot.”