Who is popular today?

ST ANN'S BAY, St Ann - The four councillors in St Ann North Eastern have adopted a wait-and-see posture regarding their under-pressure Member of Parliament (MP) Marsha Smith, who is being given an opportunity to "redeem" herself by doing a number of things, including reopening her constituency office in St Ann's Bay.The office has been closed for three weeks since supporters of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) padlocked it in protest against what they said is their MP's poor performance. They also called for Smith to resign as both MP and chairman of the JLP constituency machinery.Councillors were also not satisfied with the MP's performance. "All councillors, bar none, were concerned and the constituents also were concerned," one councillor claimed.Following the February 3 protest the secretariat of the JLP's Area Council Three, which include St Ann constituencies, convened meetings between Smith and the councillors.During those meetings Smith reportedly promised to do better and stated that she was preoccupied with her job as minister of state in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service."Not everybody can manage both a constituency and a ministry, and that was what affected her. She gave priority to the ministry and the constituency was neglected," one councillor told the Observer."While the constituents were not satisfied with their MP, the Government was pleased with her performance in the Ministry of Finance. Now that the public sector wage negotiations that she was involved in have been sorted out, we believe she needs to focus on her constituency - and that is what she promised to do. So, the ball is in her court," added the councillor.According to the councillor, in their deliberations they were mindful that Smith is a first-term parliamentarian and so perhaps needed more time to cover the learning curve.One councillor noted that their discontent was nothing personal against the MP."My support stands with the people and so I am supportive of an MP that works with and for the people," the councillor added."It's not a matter of being against a person personally but I believe that if we are elected to serve, we should do so. At the meetings that were held, almost everybody rejected the MP but they also told her, 'You say you are going to change, and so we are giving you time to see if you will change.' "But even as they wait to see the change, some JLP supporters in the constituency are already tempted to place a strike against the MP's name, citing the continued closure of the constituency office.One councillor told the Observer that the three-week closure of the office speaks volumes about the MP."The people have a right to demonstrate if they feel something is not going right in the constituency. But what do you as the MP do after? If I was the MP and that happened to me, the following morning my office would be open," the councillor argued.Another of the councillors underscored the importance of having the constituency office up and running again, urgently."We know that the office is a safe haven and ground for residents of north-east St Ann, especially the St Ann's Bay Division who use it to visit and look for their political directorate. It is not good for it to still be closed," the councillor opined.The Observer has made numerous attempts to get a response from Smith but the number provided for her has been ringing without an answer.She was chosen by the JLP's secretariat to contest the 2020 election in St Ann North Eastern after the previous MP, Shahine Robinson, died in 2020 following a prolonged illness. Robinson represented the seat in Parliament for 20 consecutive years, after scoring an upset victory for the JLP in a 2001 by-election.Smith, an attorney-at-law by training, is also the daughter of late former St Ann South Western MP Ernest Smith of the JLP.