By Garwin Davis, Assistant News Editor
Patterson and Seaga
THE POLITICAL Code of Conduct signed earlier this year by the leaders of the People's National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and which sets guidelines for the conduct of election campaigning, is being widely violated on the campaign trail.
Critics charge that officials of both the ruling PNP and the opposition JLP have been making inflammatory statements about each other from political platforms.
Officials of the newer political parties see some of these comments as typical mudslinging.
"Both parties are in the business of fighting and tearing down each other," said Antonnette Haughton-Cardenas, president of the United People's Party (UPP).
"For them it is business as usual. The only time issues are addressed is when they are forced on the agenda like we did with education, she said.
"The will is certainly not there to move away from the type of politics which has characterised election campaigns in this country for decades... the signing of the political Code of Conduct doesn't change anything at all."
Michael Williams, general secretary of the National Democratic Movement (NDM, agreed. According to him, both parties are deeply entrenched in the politics of tribalism and have no intention of honouring the Code of Conduct. "Just listen to the type of rhetoric coming from both camps," he said. "Both are intent on upstaging the other and the mere signing of a document will not change this."
Affiliates of both the JLP and the PNP have been attack - ing the characters of their opponents and there was a near shoving match between K.D. Knight, PNP candidate for St. Catherine East Central, and Dr. Raymoth Notice, the JLP challenger, outside a bar recently.
The Political Code of Conduct sets guidelines for acceptable behaviour on the part of candidates, voters, party activists and the security forces throughout the election campaign.
Among the provisions, and one that critics say has been repeatedly violated, particularly at political rallies, is a call for people involved in political activity to: prohibit inflammatory or libellous statements and reject the use of violence and intimidation to further political objectives.
Also, the code discourages the erection of roadblocks that prevent people from going about their lawful business. It prohibits candidates and those acting on their behalf from using public or private funds to bribe voters.
Bishop Herro Blair, the Political Ombudsman, says the onus is on the two parties to "keep a close eye on each other's campaign. The last thing I want to do is to take the fun out of the campaigns," he said. "It is however very important that the parties abide by the code of conduct that they have both signed
on to."
Maxine Henry-Wilson, PNP general secretary and Dr. Kenneth Baugh, general secretary of the JLP, could not be reached for comment. Both had promised campaigns that would focus on issues rather than
mud-slinging and character assassination."
