KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) General Secretary Horace Chang has condemned Tuesday night’s murder of a woman in the Newlands community of Portmore, St Catherine. 

He decried the reaction of Senate President Floyd Morris who he says has rushed to judgement and has hastily moved to ascribe political motive.

The People’s National Party Youth Organisation (PNPYO) which expressed “shock, disdain and outrage at the brutal slaying” has identified the woman as “Comrade Saidie Forbes”.

“It is reported that Comrade Forbes was shot by gunmen because she dared to remove a flag which was placed at her gate by supporters of the Jamaica Labour Party,” PNPYO said in a release this morning. Morris had made the same claims earlier.

Read: Woman shot dead in Newlands, St Catherine

However, Chang in a JLP release said that the police’s investigation into the incident is still ongoing and a declaration of motive on the part of non-police personnel at this early stage is at best premature and irresponsible.

“Law abiding citizens and well-thinking Jamaicans shun acts of violence or intimidation of any kind or in any form. We are a self-respecting democracy which values every human life and as such the shooting death of the Newlands resident warrants strong condemnation,” he reasoned.

“It does not help the situation where residents are understandably shaken and mourning the loss of a member of the community, for someone as influential as the Senate President to be prematurely rushing to judgment and forming an opinion that imputes political antagonism as the motive behind the killing. Instead of going down a path of reckless speculation, which will only serve to heighten hostilities and tension along political lines, Senator Morris should take the opportunity to renew our collective stance as a people against criminality in all its forms and encourage residents of the community who may possess information that could assist the police in their investigations, to cooperate with the police so the perpetrators can be brought to justice in the shortest possible time,” he added.