St Andrew NW independent candidate Carl Marshall says he remains a member of PNP

Although he is contesting the St Andrew North Western by-election as an independent candidate, former house speaker, Carl Marshall, has declared that he is still a member of the Opposition People's National Party (PNP). 

“I am a PNP which I've told the people over and over that it's not that I am no longer a PNP,” he said. 

He noted, however, that the party's rules state that if a PNP candidate is running in an election and another PNP member enters as an independent, it would effectively split the vote and take support away from the party.

But, he stated that PNP has given him a “God send opportunity” by not putting forward a candidate as he can now share his vision for the constituency with the people. 

Marshall, who is up against the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) Duane Smith, said he has been campaigning on an education platform. 

Headlines Delivered to Your Inbox

Sign up for The Gleaner’s morning and evening newsletters.

“The truth is, there is no country on earth that has an educated population that is poor. The only way we are going to get out of this poverty is to have our people education,” he said. 

“Being member of parliament is a spring board, it will help me to do the things I want to do to help the students, no school will refuse the member of parliament from entering,” the former teacher and attorney-at-law stated. 

The 82-year-old served as member of parliament for Clarendon North Western from 1989 to 1997.

He was Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1993 to 1997. 

- Sashana Small