ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica — Senator Abka Fitz-Henley has slammed the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) for what he says is an attack on the media. Fitz-Henley, who was speaking at the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Area Council meeting on Sunday in South East St Elizabeth, said the PNP’s labelling of the media as biased is a reflection of them running out of ideas on how to interest the Jamaican people.

“I hear dem make a talk about media being biased against them. My message to the PNP tonight is this, anytime yuh hear a political party cussing the private sector, cussing the media, that is evidence of a party that is desperate, that is bankrupt of ideas, and have no idea on how to advance the interest of the Jamaican people. They have no clue on how to move Jamaica forward,” said Fitz-Henley.

“I say to them, leave the media alone, back off and think about some ideas to develop Jamaica,” he continued.

The senator’s comments follow arguments posited by the PNP’s general secretary, Dr Dayton Campbell in an address to the party’s St Andrew East Central constituency conference on September 3.

Campbell accused Nationwide News Media of being an “incubator for the Jamaica Labour Party” and named several former employees of the station who are now working in Government services.

Campbell’s comments were condemned by the Press Association of Jamaica, which stated that such remarks, coming from a prominent political figure, have the potential to place Nationwide journalists at risk of attacks by political activists and party supporters.

The Government and The Media Association of Jamaica also condemned the comments.

Nationwide’s office on Bradley Avenue in St Andrew was reportedly attacked by gunmen on September 8.

READ: Gunmen shoot at Nationwide 90fm offices

The PNP said it was “astonished” by the reports of the shooting while expressing “profound relief that there were no reported physical injuries.”

READ: Opposition astonished by shooting incident at Nationwide