Campbell calls for Buchanan to be shown respect
People’s National Party (PNP) General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell has appealed to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and its supporters to accept and live with the fact that Isat Buchanan beat Ann-Marie Vaz fairly in Portland Eastern in the September 3 General Election.
“We have seen videos and heard voice notes of persons in Portland Eastern who made comments that resources would be made limited to the newly elected Member of Parliament Isat Buchanan,” Campbell said on Thursday during a post-election press briefing at PNP headquarters on Hope Road in St Andrew.
“We are calling on the leadership of the Jamaica Labour Party to rein in their supporters for them to understand that we do believe in a democratic process and we have to accept the outcome, similarly to how we have accepted the results at the national level. It can’t be that they accept it at the national level but at the constituency level they are reluctant to accept that Isat Buchanan defeated Ann-Marie Vaz in a free and fair election that took place in Portland Eastern. As the duly elected representative, he should be accorded all the respect and authority conveyed on such an office,” Campbell added.
Buchanan secured 8,316 votes to Vaz’s 8,181.
He pointed to other constituencies which, he said, experienced vandalism and intimidation, including the removal of certain infrastructure at a community centre in St Mary South Eastern.
“Probably the most concerning of them all is Trelawny Southern where a team from the Labour Party, led by persons in leadership, went to the house of our candidate Paul Patmore to threaten him,” Campbell claimed.
“We do have some other concerns of acts of intimidation, aggression and vandalism that would have taken place since the elections have been concluded. Specifically in St James Southern in the Anchovy Division,” Campbell added.
Campbell also claimed that PNP banners and paraphernalia were torn down by JLP supporters.
Similar charges have been made against the PNP by the JLP.
Additionally, Campbell encouraged representatives of the PNP to remove whatever paraphernalia is left in the streets.
“We want to encourage our candidates across the length and breadth of Jamaica to remove the paraphernalia that was put up during the time of campaigning. Some of our candidates will not have much to do because their opponents already removed them before the elections. Those that still have up some material we are using this opportunity to ask them to remove the paraphernalia from the different constituencies,” Campbell said.