MANCHESTER, Jamaica – Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) General Secretary Dr Horace Chang says any politician who suggests a trivialisation of violence is unfit to hold office.

“… Any kind of allusion, inference, reference to violence on a political platform in Jamaica is highly irresponsible and renders some people unfit for leadership in public life, it should not come near their mouth, because we know where we are coming from,” Chang told his audience at a JLP workers’ meeting in Resource, Manchester South to shore up support for Ian Ives on Sunday night.

He was speaking amid the intensification of the political campaign ahead of the next parliamentary election.

Chang pointed to a video which went viral recently with People’s National Party (PNP) aspirant for St Elizabeth South Western Miranda Wellington.

“This is not going to be an easy victory but I want you to know that we prepared for war and if a war, a war”, Wellington stated in a battle cry to constituents at a PNP meeting in western Jamaica.

Chang said the comments are highly irresponsible.

“Some time ago I saw a likkle lady jumping up and down on a platform and talking about blood and fire and war. I hear another one, the leader himself say it. They come to Montego Bay and jump off a bus. Now on a serious note, in Jamaica today we are quiet today, because we have gotten things quiet under Andrew Holness Government… murder and violence are down,” Chang said while pointing to the election period and the need for politicians to be careful of their choice of words.

“Anybody who uses that kind of language on a platform is not fit to lead anybody. It is irresponsible and it reflects that you cannot have trust in them to have power, it is highly irresponsible that shouldn’t have even come out of their mouth, so apologising is not the issue. Withdrawing is not the issue, it is a sign of desperation, but also a sign of untrustworthiness and clearly not fit to lead anyone, not in Jamaica. You cannot trivialise in anyway violence in Jamaica,” he said.

Chang, the country’s national security minister, credited the Government for the continued reduction in crime, especially murders.

“We have just turned the corner, because this Government has led the way. We talked about that, but it came up in Manchester last year, it is tying you, but we put in place the resources for the police to deal with the problem and it is coming down nicely,” he said.

“We are committed to making our people safe and better to have young people achieve their ambitions and grow up in this country feeling comfortable and can become prosperous,” added Chang.

He claimed that Jamaica is now a model for security in the Caribbean.

Jamaica Labour Party General Secretary Dr Horace Chang speaking at the JLP’s Manchester Southern workers’ meeting on Sunday in Resource.

“[We] have a police force that is now the envy of the entire Caribbean. They used to cuss we enuh. Now they come, they want us to help them. They were here last week at Caricom (Caribbean Community) and had multiple meetings, because across the Caribbean they want this Government to assist them in getting their police right. We can take pride in the fact as a Government that we have built a strong police force, a professional force that is getting the job done,” he said.

“It was expensive, but necessary, because we believe in the safety of our people. We believe we must make it easy for you to still drive on the road anytime of the night, walk from church to home in your district and not feel like you have to look behind you, because gunman a fire gun over your head. Some are still out there, but it is much better and going down. We have 40 per cent [reduction] this year. Last year it was 20. The year before it was eight,” added Chang.

Jamaica Labour Party supporters and workers at the party’s Manchester Southern workers’ meeting on Sunday in Resource.