PNP, JLP urge peace amid local gov't election campaign

By Kimone Witter    

 

People's National Party Deputy General Secretary Nekeisha Burchell has sought to explain the national campaigning being employed by the PNP for the local government election, similar to the Jamaica Labour Party.

 

Speaking Thursday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106, Ms. Burchell said because of the delay in holding the parish council election, the political parties have found themselves in a unique position. 

 

"We find that the electorate, based on the information we have access to, they are interested in some macro issues as well. So we are running one message, but on two plans. We are going to speak to the national issues that are of importance to the people, but of course, a large part of our focus will be on local government issues, and we're going to be dovetailing the message to ensure that even though we may speak to the national priorities, we believe that national development is only possible when local government works." 

 

Ms. Burchell also addressed the tension that has arisen between the major political parties following campaign rhetoric.

 

The issues have prompted charges and counter charges. 

 

She pointed to a comment by the JLP's Delroy Chuck referring to Opposition Leader Mark Golding as a 'political dunce'. 

 

"From one side of his mouth, he did that while on the other side he's calling for civility in the campaign. So I am indeed very much cautioning both sites of the political divide to ensure that civility remains," the PNP deputy general secretary urged. 

 

Meanwhile, chairman of the Jamaica Labour Party's Public Relations Committee Robert Morgan has dismissed the notion that the PNP base appears more energised than the JLP for the local government election.

 

"When I saw the Prime Minister yesterday downtown, and day before yesterday I think, and I saw the entire street filled with labourite...what I see is an energy and a mobilisation taking place. Mass meetings and rallies don't win elections. A hundred and sixty thousand strong was proven to be wrong.

 

"We are not going to be bussing people all over the island to go to mass rallies when we need to engage the people house to house in their communities and to situate the gains that we have made on their behalf to them so they understand what we have done," he argued. 

 

Mr. Morgan also reacted to the political tension in the last few days, noting that "it used to much worse" but, thankfully, the country has evolved.  

 

"I don't believe that this campaign is going to be a rough campaign in terms of the type of behaviour of political actors, but in political theatre, you're always going to have situations where people say things that may be inappropriate. And rightly you, as a journalist, have the right to draw them up, and we as a party or the PNP I suspect will do the same thing, but it's a part of the process," he suggested. 

 

Mr. Morgan was also a guest on the Morning Agenda.

 

Both the JLP and PNP are nominating their full slate of candidates today (Thursday) for upcoming local government election on February 26.