PEOPLE'S NATIONAL Party (PNP) and New Jamaica Alliance (NJA) candidates in St. James have added their signatures to the Political Code of Conduct.
Only one of the four Jamaica Labour Party candidates turned up to sign the document at the Presbyterian Church in Montego Bay on Tuesday, but a release from the party that evening stated that the others will be signing the code at the Richmond Hill Inn, Union Street, today.
The document, a guide for candidates seeking political office, had been sent to Montego Bay for the signatures of the St. James candidates. The PNP's Hugh Solomon, Derrick Kellier, Gordon Brown, and Donald Colomathi signed on Tuesday. Apollone Reid, NJA candidate in St. James North Western, and Cornel Cameron, NJA candidate for St. James East Central, also signed. The JLP's Clive Mullings (St. James West Central) was the only candidate from his party who was present.
A release from the JLP Tuesday evening said that the other three candidates deputy leader Edmund Bartlett (East Central St. James), Dr. Horace Chang (North West St. James) and Captain Carlos Rhoden (Southern St. James) will sign the code today at 3 p.m. the Hon Clarence Nelson, Custos of the parish, will be the witness.
Mr. Bartlett said that the JLP's candidates did not boycott Tuesday's signing. According to him, they were informed only last weekend that it would be taking place. He said he contacted the office of the Political Ombudsman on Monday and requested that it be rescheduled, as the candidates had other commitments and would not be able to attend.
The Agreement and Declaration on Political Conduct, signed on June 11, 2002 by the leaders of the PNP and the JLP, the two major political parties, states that, "Every candidate, along with an influential member of the community, who is part of the party organisation, will sign the accord and will be... subject to the same sanctions as if he or she were the candidate."
