PNP demands immediate end to unlawful removal of campaign material in Montego Bay
/ Our Today
administrator
The People’s National Party (PNP) is calling on the Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, to immediately cease the unlawful removal and destruction of PNP advertising boards and other paraphernalia which have been mounted in the parish, particularly Montego Bay.
In a statement today, the General Secretary of the party, Dr Dayton Campbell, pointed out that the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertising) Regulations provide that advertising relating specifically to an independent parliamentary or local election may be undertaken without the express consent of the Municipal Authority. He expressed concern that the PNP does not believe that the Mayor is unaware of this exemption and can only assume that he is using his misguided authority for purely partisan purposes.
“The PNP, therefore, calls upon Mayor Vernon to cease his unlawful activities and return the posters and advertising boards to the candidates, with an appropriate apology,” Dr Campbell asserted.
The General Secretary said the JLP controlled St James Municipal Corporation and the Mayor, in particular, seem determined to turn a blind eye to the law in a desperate attempt to intimidate and frustrate the party’s candidates since yesterday by using the Municipal Police to remove posters around the city on the basis that they were erected without approval.
Dr Campbell recalled that it was established practice, supported by law, that during the lead-up to an election, political parties are allowed to erect posters and signs advertising their candidates. He said this practice has always proceeded without incident, even during the 2024 Local Government.
The General Secretary said, consequent on the Mayor’s illegal action, the party’s legal team has been in dialogue with the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, in its capacity as the Political Ombudsman, for a clear and urgent ruling.
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