PEOPLE’S National Party (PNP) national campaign director, Dr Paul Robertson, has denied that the party is using violence and intimidation as general election strategies.

“We have not, will not and never will be engaged in any plan to use violence as a political tool,” Robertson last Friday told a press conference at the PNP’s headquarters, Old Hope Road, Kingston.

The press conference was an obvious response to last Thursday’s statement from the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) expressing concern about attacks on its supporters and the upsurge in violence.

The JLP suggested last Thursday that its view was that there was “a deliberate strategy to use violence and terror to intimidate JLP workers and supporters”.

Robertson said that the PNP was equally concerned about the increase in intimidation and violence over the last five days.

“It is therefore our objective, in calling this press conference, to again signal to the country, and indeed the world, that we have not, will not and never will be engaged in any plan to use violence as a political tool.”

He said that he had documented at least seven reports in the media in which it was alleged that the PNP, or its candidates, were responsible for instigating acts of violence.

“We use this opportunity to categorically state that among the accomplishments of the People’s National Party is the significant reduction of partisan political violence, generally, and specifically as a feature of election campaigns,” Robertson said.

“The People’s National Party would have nothing to gain by participating in, orchestrating or otherwise causing political violence,” he said.

Robertson also attempted to deflect blame to the JLP, suggesting that “internal problems of another party”, and the planting of persons from “certain inner-city communities” in targeted areas, could be responsible for the upsurge in violence.

However, when pressed to substantiate those claims, he said that he would leave it up to the media to investigate their authenticity.

“I am making no specific allegation. What I am saying is, this depiction of the party as setting out to create violence as a political tool, we reject,” Robertson responded.

“We are calling on the police to do their job, without fear or favour, and we are just pointing to circumstances and asking them to look into these things,” he said.