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...and not the secondary ones...
(out for the day..unnu all behave unnu self today!!!!)
Blair may urge candidate ban
Political ombudsman to submit report on campaign behaviour to House
ERICA VIRTUE, Observer writer virtuee@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Tough measures, including the possible banning of candidates, will be included in an analysis of the 2007 general election campaign that Political Ombudsman Bishop Herro Blair says he will submit to the new Parliament at its first sitting.
Blair confirmed two weeks ago that he would submit the report to the new legislature, but declined to give details of its content.
"I don't want to pre-empt what the report will detail," he said. "All I can say is that it will analyse the conduct of the campaign, it will examine the utterances from the platform from both sets of candidates, plus any behaviour deemed contrary to the Political Code of Conduct. We will be making some strong recommendations."
Although Blair opted not to go into details, the Observer learnt that his office was likely to recommend the banning of candidates, even after they have been nominated, if they knowingly breach the Political Code of Conduct.
Platform statements, Blair said, will be given special attention, and among them he cited Joan Gordon-Webley's "Jezebel" characterisation of then Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller;
Donald Buchanan's characterisation of Christopher Tufton as "Satan",
Roger Clarke's "little bitches" and "rapists" comments about the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP),
...and...
Peter Fakhourie's broadside on former Miss World Lisa Hanna as a "punk, idiot, and duppy".
However, there were myriad other unflattering comments about candidates made from both platforms as the campaign sank in the weeks leading up to the September 3 vote, which the JLP won.
The breaches all occurred under Section (4) of the Code dealing with Public Utterances, which says, "Party officials (including platform speakers) should not make statements which:
(a) Are inflammatory or likely to incite others to confrontation or violence;
(b) Constitute slander or libel;
(c) Are malicious in reference to opposing candidates, their families and party officials."
During the campaign, the ombudsman made his displeasure about disparaging statements known to candidates from both parties. He also had reason to write to both parties, reprimanding them about conduct on the campaign trail.
Shortly after the election, Blair met with the general secretaries of the JLP and the People's National Party (PNP) - and described the meeting as cordial. He had also met with the winning and losing candidates in the St Andrew South Eastern constituency, the PNP's Maxine Henry-Wilson and the JLP's Gordon-Webley.
"It was a cordial meeting and they expressed a desire to work together for the benefit of the citizens of the constituency they serve," said Blair.
Henry-Wilson won the seat, but the campaign in that constituency was particularly violent, resulting in the deaths of supporters of both sides.
Bishop Blair was forced to impose bans on campaigning in that and other constituencies.
(out for the day..unnu all behave unnu self today!!!!)
Blair may urge candidate ban
Political ombudsman to submit report on campaign behaviour to House
ERICA VIRTUE, Observer writer virtuee@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Tough measures, including the possible banning of candidates, will be included in an analysis of the 2007 general election campaign that Political Ombudsman Bishop Herro Blair says he will submit to the new Parliament at its first sitting.
Blair confirmed two weeks ago that he would submit the report to the new legislature, but declined to give details of its content.
"I don't want to pre-empt what the report will detail," he said. "All I can say is that it will analyse the conduct of the campaign, it will examine the utterances from the platform from both sets of candidates, plus any behaviour deemed contrary to the Political Code of Conduct. We will be making some strong recommendations."
Although Blair opted not to go into details, the Observer learnt that his office was likely to recommend the banning of candidates, even after they have been nominated, if they knowingly breach the Political Code of Conduct.
Platform statements, Blair said, will be given special attention, and among them he cited Joan Gordon-Webley's "Jezebel" characterisation of then Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller;
Donald Buchanan's characterisation of Christopher Tufton as "Satan",
Roger Clarke's "little bitches" and "rapists" comments about the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP),
...and...
Peter Fakhourie's broadside on former Miss World Lisa Hanna as a "punk, idiot, and duppy".
However, there were myriad other unflattering comments about candidates made from both platforms as the campaign sank in the weeks leading up to the September 3 vote, which the JLP won.
The breaches all occurred under Section (4) of the Code dealing with Public Utterances, which says, "Party officials (including platform speakers) should not make statements which:
(a) Are inflammatory or likely to incite others to confrontation or violence;
(b) Constitute slander or libel;
(c) Are malicious in reference to opposing candidates, their families and party officials."
During the campaign, the ombudsman made his displeasure about disparaging statements known to candidates from both parties. He also had reason to write to both parties, reprimanding them about conduct on the campaign trail.
Shortly after the election, Blair met with the general secretaries of the JLP and the People's National Party (PNP) - and described the meeting as cordial. He had also met with the winning and losing candidates in the St Andrew South Eastern constituency, the PNP's Maxine Henry-Wilson and the JLP's Gordon-Webley.
"It was a cordial meeting and they expressed a desire to work together for the benefit of the citizens of the constituency they serve," said Blair.
Henry-Wilson won the seat, but the campaign in that constituency was particularly violent, resulting in the deaths of supporters of both sides.
Bishop Blair was forced to impose bans on campaigning in that and other constituencies.