'No dynasty lives on forever' - Christopher Munroe

Published in the Jamaica Gleaner: Sunday | July 29, 2007

Karl Samuda has served for over two decades as Member of Parliament for North Central St. Andrew. He says it is mathematically impossible for anybody to beat him in the constituency.

However, don't tell that to Dr. Christopher Munroe. He believes that there is no dynasty that lives on forever, and that the 2002 election victory was Mr. Samuda's last.

"I am going to win! I am going to win! If you are a betting man. you can safely put your money on North Central St. Andrew for the People's National Party (PNP)," Munroe tells The Sunday Gleaner.

A 35-year-old medical doctor, Munroe is one of the many PNP's first-time entrants to representational politics. He says his strategy has been one of political education, through which he informs people in the constituency about the roles and responsibility of their MP and various social programmes they can access.

The PNP has won the North Central St. Andrew seat once since it was formed in 1976, the year the number of constituencies increased from 53 to 60. The year was 1993 when Samuda crossed the floor and ran on the PNP ticket. He returned to the JLP for the 1997 election, which he won.

The constituency comprises communities such as Norbrook, Dunrobin, 100 Lane, Black Ants Lane, Red Hills Road and Mannings Hill Road.

If Dr. Munroe is to make it to Parliament, he must erase the handsome 2,406 majority that Samuda now holds. The young candidate, however, believes that most of that work has been done with the reverification of voters, which has seen the voters' list reduced from 17,288 to 16,281.

He said that he has learned from the best having worked with seasoned campaigners, Easton Douglas and Maxine Henry-Wilson, in South East St. Andrew .

"I have learned from (them) and I am applying it, and it seems to be working. They used to call Allan Isaacs Mr. 10,000. I will take that title ... I am expecting to take 10,000 of the 16,000 votes," Dr. Munroe says.