KINGSTON, Jamaica — Member of Parliament for Portland Western, Daryl Vaz, has once again slammed the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP), branding them as “badmind” and lacking in both policies and performance, while urging Jamaicans to “stick with the evil they know” in the upcoming general elections.

Speaking on Friday during a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Trelawny South meeting, Vaz said, “I am going to go through the length and breadth of Jamaica and I’m going to bun out the badmind, because badmind can never prosper and must never prosper in this country.”

Addressing a crowd of supporters in the presence of Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Vaz declared his unwavering support for their MP Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, describing her as “an exemplary Member of Parliament” who has weathered political storms and emerged stronger for it.

“Both of us entered the Parliament in 2007. Both of us, when the wind was blowing in a different direction, won back in 2011. The breeze blew a little different in 2016, and we survived, and 2020, we survived. But there was other people who had other plans to get rid of her, but you, the people, stood up for her, and that is why she’s here today,” Vaz said.

He commended her resilience in the face of political pressure, saying: “Good over evil, every time. A lesser woman, a lesser woman, or a lesser man would have taken bush and bowed to the pressure, but not only did she decide that she cannot forsake Trelawny and Trelawny South, but her party stood with her toe-to-toe to make sure that she is back where she belonged and she will not leave again until she is ready to leave.”

In contrast, Vaz criticised several PNP politicians for what he described as opportunistic political manoeuvring—leaving constituencies after electoral defeat to seek “safe seats” elsewhere.

“I’m going to give you a comparison because we are in a time where there’s all sorts of propaganda and all sorts of social media and other media that confuse people. Marisa Dalrymple has stayed with her people despite all the challenges that she has had. Others who say they are for the people have run around Jamaica looking for a safe seat,” He said.

Vaz continued, “Let us start with the general secretary of the other party. Win in St Ann, where he was born and grow, get one beating and gone to Westmoreland. The former general secretary, Peter Bunting, win two times in Manchester Central, get one beating and step across the border to Manchester South. Him have more nerve than a bad tooth.”

“Damion Crawford leave from St Andrew East Rural go to Portland and get a backsiding from Action Ann and every morning him wake up, him see her in front of him, and every night him go to bed, him dream bout the beating weh him get. Him end up now gone to St Catherine.”

“Ian Hayles leave from Hanover, gone to seek refuge in Westmoreland. [Pa]tricia Duncan from Clarendon to St Andrew. You know the difference between them and Marisa Dalrymple and Daryl Vaz, who have won consistently in one seat? It is very simple. Serve the people and they will serve you. Love the people, they will love you. Respect the people, they will respect you. And defend the people, and they will defend you,” he added.

Accusing the PNP of not “looking about the people”, Vaz warned JLP supporters to “take sleep and mark death”.

“Bun them out. Them nuh good. Badmind. Self-interest. Everybody looking for a safe seat and not looking about the people. Tom drunk but Tom nuh fool. And I say to you tonight and all those who are listening, take sleep and mark death. Stick with the evil that you know, because this Government and this set of Members of Parliament are serving Jamaica in a way that it has never been served,” he said.

“Anywhere you see them, run them away. Badmind. They have no policies, they have no performance, they have nothing to tell Jamaica other than to badmind the prime minister, badmind Marisa and badmind anybody they can badmind,” he added.