LESS than 24 hours after she pledged to use every ounce of her strength to conduct a peaceful election campaign, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller was on Tuesday afternoon presented with a challenge.

As a People’s National Party’s (PNP) motorcade, led by Simpson Miller, made its way through sections of the battleground constituency of St Andrew South-Eastern, which is represented by Maxine Henry Wilson, about 30 flag-bearing and bell-ringing supporters of the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) cut into the group at Anderson Road in the vicinity of the Mango Tree bar, forcing the PM to conduct a planned meeting at another location to avoid confrontation.

Simpson Miller moved the meeting to a distance of more than 100 metres away, urging PNP supporters not to interfere.

“I said on Monday at the (Jamaica) Conference Centre that Jamaica is big enough for the two of us and it is. So they, too, have a right to campaign and we have a right to campaign in peace,” she said to loud applause from PNP supporters.

As the prime minister spoke, a shouting contest between the two sets of supporters moved to finger-pointing, which, at times, threatened to get physical even as police and civilians alike watched the proceedings very closely from just metres away.

PNP supporters were further incensed when JLP supporters burnt a flag with a picture bearing the likeness of Simpson Miller. Simpson Miller was campaigning for Henry Wilson, who an opinion poll said is trailing Gordon Webley in the constituency.

“Gordon Webley and Bruce (Golding) was in the area campaigning a couple days ago an nobody nuh trouble dem. But is a war dem looking, and dem wi get one you nuh,” an enraged PNP supporter said.

According to the PNP supporter, tension was high in the area as a man was murdered in a drive-by shooting Monday night, which PNP supporters claim was politically motivated.

Another PNP supporter who keenly watched the proceedings said it was the second time that that constituency was breaching the Political Code of Conduct.

The Code, in Section 12, speaks to the avoidance of confrontation or any circumstances which could be seen as provocation in the election period.

More than a month ago, the Observer photographed JLP supportive graffiti on several walls in sections of Woodford Park while nearly 100 flags were also posted on light posts in the area.

They were later removed on the instruction of the JLP’s general secretary, Karl Samuda, and Mrs Gordon Webley.

On Monday, Opposition Leader Bruce Golding admitted that there were some wayward supporters in the JLP, but he also committed to a peaceful election campaign at the peace and justice congress.

Meanwhile, during the motorcade a woman fell from a pick-up truck and had to be taken to hospital. The extent of her injuries were not ascertained.

The motorcade ended with a rally at the Nannyville community centre, which about 2,000 people attended.

Simpson Miller urged supporters to return control of the constituency to the PNP, as she wanted the sitting MP to be beside her when she walked up Duke Street for the start of a new parliamentary term.