( L - R ) Tufton and Buchanan

Mark Titus, Freelance Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

JAMAICA LABOUR Party (JLP) Senator and caretaker for South West St. Elizabeth, Dr. Christopher Tufton, is daring sitting Member of Parliament (MP) Donald Buchanan to rescind on his plans to retire from active politics and face him at the polls.

"I will not get involved in the slander and the name calling, I know better, Buchanan don't," he said.

"What he must do is put up himself to face me at the ballot, and let the people decide."

"They want us to accompany them down into the gutter politics, but we will not go their route."

Dr. Tufton was speaking to hundreds of green-clad JLP supporters at the JLP's divisional conference at the Mountainside Primary School in St. Elizabeth on Sunday.

Character assassination

"The PNP have failed miserably for the past 18 years; they have no achievements to show; no track record and so they have resorted to the old-time politics of character assassination," he said.

The former G2K president was referring to a media report that Buchanan, who is also the Minister of Information, referred to him as 'Satan' at a PNP divisional conference on May 5.

"I am no Satan, but I am first to admit that I am his demon because I amgiving him nightmares at nights."

While stating an unwillingness to get involved in an exchange of name calling, Dr.Tufton described Mr. Redwood as 'No better herring, no better barrel' and a disgrace as a man of the cloth.

A lecturer in management studies at the University of the West Indies, Dr.Tufton has been favoured to win the seat over the PNP's Reverend Stanley Redwood by a recent Bill Johnson poll. Buchanan the sitting MP will not be seeking re-election.

mark.titus@gleanerjm.com