ROSEMARIE Shaw, the People’s National Party (PNP) candidate for St Thomas Western, on Wednesday night labelled her opponent James Robertson an “animal” and a “despicable person”, as she addressed a party rally at Paul Bogle Square in Morant Bay, the St Thomas capital.

Shaw, a former Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) mayor in the 1990s, also attacked Robertson’s stewardship as MP for St Thomas Western, saying he could not show a “fowl coop” he had built during his five years in office.

Shaw accused Robertson of being an ‘insincere’ person, who only performs for the camera, and she urged PNP supporters to send him back where he belonged, and return the seat to the ruling PNP.

Robertson defeated the PNP’s Anthony Hylton in the 2002 general elections, a defeat the party blamed on Hylton’s frequent absence from the constituency because of his duties then as Jamaica’s foreign minister.

Shaw’s comments could, however, land her in trouble with the political ombudsman for breaching the recently signed Political Code of Conduct.

Just last week, another former JLP member turned PNP candidate in Portland West, Abe Dabdoub, made a similar comment about his challenger, Daryl Vaz, which landed both of them in front of Political Ombudsman Herro Blair.

Dabdoub was quoted as saying he does “not have intercourse (sic) with people who behave like animals”, a reference made to Vaz. Both Dabdoub and Vaz have had a frosty relationship in the constituency for several weeks.

However, both men appeared to have buried the hatchet late last week ahead of a meeting on Monday with Bishop Blair.

Earlier in the rally Wednesday, outgoing MP for Portland West, Errol ‘Jiggs’ Ennis, joined other senior members of his party in attacking the media, saying elements of the press were biased against the ruling party and the Government.

Not naming any media company, Ennis challenged the “biased media elements” to state their position concerning their political support.

“When yuh get, an get, an can’t get no more; and when yuh use the government money to promote yuh own business, and when yuh want more, and don’t get nuh more. yuh bias, yuh bias, and yuh should come out an say it.,” said Ennis.