From Pancita Pyckles to Andrina Henkles: Mark Golding’s Risky Candidate Strategy and the Shadow of the 2025 Spectacle

By: Wayne Forbes /GTV Editor

March 11th, 2026

In the high-stakes lead-up to the 2025 General Election, Mark Golding, leader of the People’s National Party (PNP), faced intense scrutiny over his candidate selections. Central to this debate was the decision to greenlight Andre Stephens for a political seat—a move that many critics viewed through the lens of the "Lawrence Rowe debacle" that had recently left the party bruised and embarrassed.

The Shadow of Lawrence Rowe

To understand the apprehension surrounding Andre Stephens, one must recall the "disgraceful spectacle" involving Lawrence Rowe in the Kingston Central (often associated with West Central Kingston in public discourse) constituency. Originally positioned as a PNP caretaker, Rowe’s tenure ended in a public and messy divorce from the party.

After being removed in favor of retired senior cop Steve McGregor, Rowe didn't go quietly. He leveled explosive allegations against the PNP leadership, claiming he was offered millions in resources and a Senate seat to "walk away" quietly. The PNP dismissed these as "spurious allegations," but the damage was done. Rowe subsequently defected to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and was later embroiled in legal troubles, including assault charges stemming from a viral video. For Golding, the Rowe incident was a textbook example of a vetting failure that provided the JLP with months of political ammunition.

The Andre Stephens Gamble

Against this backdrop, the elevation of Andre Stephens—a vocal and often polarizing figure—was seen as a calculated but risky maneuver. Stephens, known for his aggressive social media presence and "unfiltered" advocacy for the PNP, represents a departure from the traditional, more reserved political diplomat.

Critics argue that by granting Stephens a platform, Golding is doubling down on a "firebrand" strategy that backfired with Rowe. The concern is that while Stephens commands a loyal following among the party's base, his combative style risks alienating moderate "swing" voters who are increasingly wary of the "garrison-style" rhetoric and personal scandals that have historically plagued Jamaican politics.

Vetting vs. Loyalty

The central question for the 2025 cycle was whether Golding had learned the lessons of the past. The Lawrence Rowe spectacle was not just about one man; it was a symptom of a party struggling to reconcile its grassroots energy with the need for disciplined, "bulletproof" candidates.

By choosing Stephens, Golding signaled a preference for high-visibility loyalty. However, in the court of public opinion, the move felt like a "déjà vu" moment. Skeptics pointed out that if Stephens’ campaign were to deviate into the kind of controversy that defined Rowe’s exit, it would not just be a candidate failure, but a definitive indictment of Golding’s judgment as a leader.

A Test of Leadership

As the 2025 election results eventually showed a narrow victory for the JLP, the PNP’s candidate selection remained a point of post-mortem analysis. Golding’s decision to back Stephens was a bold attempt to weaponize a new kind of political influence, but it was haunted by the ghost of Lawrence Rowe.

For the PNP, the "disgraceful spectacle" of 2025 served as a reminder: in the digital age, a candidate’s past and personality are under a microscope. Whether Andre Stephens was a masterstroke or another vetting oversight remains a subject of heated debate among Comrades and Laborites alike, but one thing is certain—the shadow of Lawrence Rowe made the stakes for "the Stephens choice" higher than ever.