Obey the law, political ombudsman tells parties
Political Ombudsman Donna Parchment Brown says her office remains concerned about the number of political flags, posters and other campaign paraphernalia that still remain on display in some divisions, particularly in the Corporate Area.
Parchment Brown told the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday that she had just penned letters to the general secretaries of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party and the Opposition People’s National Party on the matter and would be moving to have it addressed urgently.
“Many are still up and many have been removed. I’m hoping to encourage the general secretaries to implore their members to obey the law. The parish councillors are the ones who will be enforcing regulation for signage, so you would expect that they would at least set an example,” she stated.
Promotional paraphernalia, such as flags and posters, are still highly visible in sections of some constituencies such as St Andrew South Eastern, and Kingston Eastern and Port Royal, which were among the areas where the battle for parish council elections were most intense.
Parchment Brown also indicated that there are outstanding matters from the local government elections in November, but said she would not make those public until an appropriate time after she has had discussions with the general secretaries.
Under the Towns and Communities Act, candidates have two weeks to remove signs and other items related to their party’s campaign.
Parchment Brown had said that if there was no compliance within the specified time frame, she would partner with parish managers and town clerks to use their powers to remove the items.