PNP distances itself from ‘rogue’ group
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The ruling People’s National Party (PNP) is today distancing itself from the group Friends of East Portland.Read: Bloomfield back in!
The group, which the PNP said it has no relationship with, last week called on prime minister and party President Portia Simpson Miller to return Andrea Moore as the party’s standard-bearer in East Portland.
In its latest protest, the group called for the sacking of Health Minister Dr Fenton Ferguson, after it was revealed that 42 newborn infants were infected at two public hospitals by two bacteria — klebsiellia and serratia. Eighteen of the infants have since died.
“…The party’s organisation in East Portland had no knowledge of this illusory group prior to last week, and believes that those behind the group are running their own individual campaign,” the PNP said in a statement on Friday.
It insisted that “this group of individuals cannot be described as having any sort of affiliation with or to the PNP, as the party has no connections to – or control over this group, which is lobbying for the inclusion of their own agenda, while it unconstitutionally claims to support the PNP”.
“The People’s National Party notes with disgust, the group’s orchestrated attacks against Dr Lyndale Bloomfield, the elected Member of Parliament and PNP standard-bearer for East Portland, as well as their pernicious attempts to silence the duly elected executive of the PNP’s Region 2 Leadership,” the statement read.
It said established channels of the party remain open to legitimate organisations with a need to be affiliated to the PNP, subject to the strict adherence of its constitution.
The regional and national party executive wish to remind all groups, that it has the final voice on matters arising in constituencies which fail to meet constitutionally required membership quotas.