What will your choice be?
Lloyd Williams, Senior Associate Editor

Winston Sill/ Freelance Photographer Prime Minister P.J. Patterson (left) shakes hands with Opposition Leader Edward Seaga at the Jamaican National Debate 2002 on Thursday.

COME WEDNESDAY, October 16, rain or shine, 176 candidates will be offering themselves for election to the House of Representatives.

The ruling People's National Party (PNP), which will be seeking an unprecedented fourth five-year term as government, will be fielding 60 candidates. So will the opposition Jamaica Labour Party which last won a general election on October 30, 1980. (On December 15, 1983 Prime Minister Seaga called a snap election which the PNP boycotted).

The International Ethiopian World Federation International Political Party is fielding seven candidates, there will be seven independents, the National Democratic Movement-New Jamaica Alliance will field 32 and the United People's Party, 10. In 1997 the NDM fielded 58 candidates.

There are 28 women candidates, with the PNP fielding 13, the JLP six, the NJA-NDM six and the UPP three.

The most successful candidate in terms of re-election is Edward Seaga of the JLP. He was first elected in 1962 as MP for Kingston Western and he has been re-elected at the other eight general elections since then, for a total of 40 years.

The candidate with the shortest stay in the House is Abe Dabdoub who was awarded the seat on an Election Court petition and was actually sworn in July 17, 2001.

Of the PNP's 60 candidates 24 are new, 35 were MPs in the period leading up to the election and one, Phyllis Mitchell, had been an MP until she was unseated by Abe Dabdoub of the JLP on June 29, 2001 in a petition to the Election Court.

Of the PNP candidates:

16 are businessmen

10 are attorneys-at-law

5 are medical doctors

4 are businesswomen

4 are farmers

3 are educators

3 are teachers

1 is an ophthalmologist

1 is a dental surgeon

1 is an administrator

1 is an advertising executive

1 is a communications consultant

1 is a building contractor

1 is an economist

1 is a business economist

1 is a business administrator

1 is a management consultant

1 is a social worker

1 is a trade unionist

1 is an electrical engineer

1 is a minister of religion

1 is an urban planner

Of the JLP's 60 candidates 12 were Members of the recently-dissolved House of Represen-tatives and about 30 are new. Of the JLP's candidates:

8 are businessmen

9 are attorneys-at-law

5 are medical doctors

4 are farmers

3 are trade unionists

3 are company directors

3 are engineers

2 are business executives

1 managing director

1 is a businesswoman

1 is an engineer/educator

1 is a businessman/sociologist

1 is an architect

1 is a marketing executive

1 is a cemetery superintendent

1 is a veterinary surgeon

1 is a financial controller

1 is a manager

1 is a building contractor

1 is a construction management consultant

1 is an educator

1 is a teacher

1 is a nurse

1 is a public relations officer

1 is an information technology specialist

1 is a holistic medicine practitioner

1 is a life underwriter

1 is an administrator

1 is farm manager

1 is an accountant

1 is a publisher

The National Democratic Movement-New Jamaica Alliance is fielding 32 candidates, 26 men and six women. Four are in health-related activities, three are pastors, five are engineers or are working in engineering, 11 are engaged in business activities, one is an attorney-at-law, one is a trade unionist, one, an environmentalist, one a chartered life underwriter and two are social workers.

The United People's Party is fielding 10 candidates, seven men three women. They are an attorney-at-law, an aeronautical engineer, a public relations practitioner, an industrial relations practitioner, a teacher, an educator, a marketing director, a marine pilot, a farmer, and a businessman.

At least four candidates were not born in Jamaica:

Edward Seaga (JLP), was born in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., but he renounced his American citizenship many years ago; Sharon Hay-Webster (PNP), St. Catherine South Central, was born in New Jersey, USA; and Dean Peart (PNP), Manchester North Western, was born in England where his father served as Jamaican High Commissioner; Arlene Campbell (NDM-NJA), St. Ann North Eastern, was born in Canada.

There is a brother-sister team, contesting the election:

They are: Shahine Robinson (nee Fakhourie) who is running for the JLP in St. Ann North Eastern and Richard Fakhourie who is running for the JLP in St. Ann South Eastern. And Edmund Bartlett (JLP), St. James East Central, and St. Aubyn Bartlett (JLP) St. Andrew Eastern are brothers.

For the PNP, Dean and Michael Peart are brothers. Dean is running in Manchester North Western and Michael, in Manchester Southern.

Also there is a husband-and-wife team The Rev. Leeroy Campbell who is running for the NDM-NJA in St. Ann South Eastern and Arlene Campbell who is running also for the NDM-NJA in St. Ann North Eastern.

The oldest PNP candidate is George Lyn, 71, who is running in Clarendon North Central; the youngest is Gordon Brown, 33, who is running in St. James North Western.

For the JLP, the oldest candidate is Edward Seaga, at 72, and the youngest is Andrew Holness, 30, who is running in St. Andrew West Central.

PNP candidates Colin Campbell (St. Andrew Eastern) and Aloun N'dombet Assamba (St. Ann South Eastern), share the same birthday, February 27, 1955. Edward Seaga (JLP), the former Minister of Finance and Planning, and Omar Davies, the current Minister of Finance and Planning, share the same birth date, Mr. Seaga, May 28, 1930 and Dr. Davies, May 28, 1947.

JLP candidates Dr. Ken Baugh, St. Catherine West Central, and Dr. Horace Chang, St. James North Western, are in-laws - Dr. Chang is married to Dr. Baugh's sister. Still in the JLP the Sangsters are cousins, Astill, St. Elizabeth South Western, and Peter, Kingston Eastern and Port Royal.