Duncan Sutherland not daunted by actions of labourites in Clarendon SE
CLARENDON, Jamaica — A confident People’s National Party caretaker/candidate for Clarendon South Eastern Patricia Duncan Sutherland says she refuses to be daunted by the actions of individuals who have defaced signs and billboards bearing her image as the political campaign season gets underway.
Duncan-Sutherland who lost to former Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Member of Parliament Rudyard Spencer by just under 1,000 votes in the 2016 general election, is now up against newcomer Pearnel Charles Jr who is now the ruling party’s candidate for the seat.
Speaking with OBSERVER ONLINE this morning at her Mineral Heights based offices ahead of Nomination Day activities at the Vere Technical High School, Duncan-Sutherland said while she would be reporting the incidents to the political ombudsman, she was not minded to create a fuss over it.
“Whenever they get nervous that’s what going to happen, they did it the last elections as well and we ignored them, we will just report them to the Office of the Political Ombudsman. We are not going to make a big deal out of it,” she said after being told that yet another of her signs had been spray-painted green.
Asked how many had been defaced in the past few days, she said “a whole lot. Some were cut down and burnt. That is a typical thing it was the same the last elections but we are not majoring in the minor”.
“We have to know how to de-escalate situations as leaders” she told OBSERVER ONLINE.
Her focus, she said, is on the nomination exercise and the upcoming general election on September 3.
“Right now we are very excited, we have been working towards this moment, today is the day for Nominations we are looking forward to September 3rd, it’s a two week sprint to the end, we have the energy to go right through to the end and to make sure we are victorious at the polls,” she said confidently.
Charles Jr is expected to be nominated at 11:00 am, while Duncan Sutherland will be nominated at 1:00 pm.
Over at the constituency office of the JLP’s first time candidate Charles Charles Jr, a number of green clad labourites milled around, a lone bell competed with the music blaring from a sound system. OBSERVER ONLINE was told that Charles would be there shortly.
Alicia Dunkley Willis