MONTEGO BAY, St James — Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Member of Parliament for North West St James Dr Horace Chang has accused the People’s National Party (PNP) of intimidating his supporters and setting the stage for violence in the constituency.

He charged that a know PNP supporter in the constituency has been telling some JLP supporters to join the Opposition PNP because “Dr Chang is setting up the police to murder you, (so) join the PNP”.

According to Dr Chang, over the last few days supporters of the Opposition has been defacing utility poles and buildings in the Norwood area of the constituency with their party’s slogans.

“You just can’t go into a volatile community and mark up the place. On Sunday they marked up 43 (light poles) and 30 odd the following night. That kind of activity can’t be in the interest of peace,” he argued.

Dr Chang further alleged that PNP supporters have also turned up at a JLP meeting in the Flankers community on Monday night to intimidate his supporters.

The incumbent MP, who has been the elected representative for the constituency since 2002, warned that if the matter is not brought under control immediately, the situation could escalate into violence.

His concerns were raised yesterday at a code of conduct signing ceremony for political representatives in St James who will be contesting the upcoming general election.

PNP caretaker for the constituency Henry McCurdy, who was among the political representatives in attendance at the ceremony presided over by the Peace Management Initiative of St James chairman Rev Everton Jackson, distanced himself for the acts of intimidation and pledged to diffuse the tension in the affected communities.

He said he has already been working with Maxine Bissasor, the JLP councillor for the Norwood division, in an effort to clean up sections of Norwood that were allegedly defaced by PNP supporters.

He stressed that he did not give any instruction to any of his supporters “to mark up any light poles”.

Meanwhile, senior PNP parliamentarian for South St James Derrick Kellier has pledged his party’s commitment to the code of conduct.

“The PNP will abide and support the code 100 per cent,” said Kellier. “We have done fairly well over the past elections and this one should be no different,” he added.

Signing for the JLP yesterday were West Central St James Member of Parliament Clive Mullings; Homer Davis (South St James); Heroy Clarke (Central St James), while Bissasor signed on behalf of Ed Bartlett (East Central St James) who was absent. Councillor Charles Sinclair signed on behalf of Dr Chang who had to leave the ceremony to conduct government business.

Signing for the PNP were: McCurdy (North West St James); Kellier (South St James) Cedric Stewart (East Central St James), Sharon Folkes Abrahams (West Central St James) and Lloyd B Smith (Central St James).