This little girl looks on as Jamaica Labour Party representative Joan Gordon-Webley (third left) with Political Ombudsman Bishop Herro Blair (second right) and Member of Parliament, Maxine Henry-Wilson (right), walk through the community of Woodford Park in a 'peace walk' in the troubled South East St. Andrew constituency yesterday. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

Tavia Peterson, Gleaner Writer

Representatives of the two major political parties walked the troubled Anderson Road and Hope Street in the South East St. Andrew community of Woodford Park yesterday, a day after a similar peace march had to be postponed.

However, despite the presence of Maxine Henry-Wilson, the People's National Party (PNP) Member of Parliament for the constituency, the sparse crowd was mostly filled with Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) sympathisers, who came out in support of their candidate, Joan Gordon-Webley.

During the walk, Political Ombudsman Bishop Herro Blair said last week's shooting incident in the constituency, in which four JLP supporters were injured, should not be treated as an isolated case.

"We have nothing planned, but we have instructed the Peace Management Initiative representatives to work with the people in the community to find the cause of the problem," Bishop Blair said.

Symbolic Gesture

The ombudsman said he felt the walk was symbolic, and was indeed a good gesture, but hoped it was not "a Band-Aid that will go loose in a couple days".

Mrs. Gordon-Webley said she would do whatever it took to put a stop to the concerns in the area as early as possible.

"I am offering everybody my number, feel free to call me," Mrs. Gordon-Webley said. "Any time you see anything about to start, feel free to call me so that myself and the Minister (of Education and Youth, Mrs. Henry-Wilson) can try to stem the problem before it goes any further."

She assured residents that "whatever it takes for me to do, to try and stop it, I will do".

However, pointing tothe absence of supporters from the PNP, one resident said: "It look bad because nobody from the other side is here, is just JLP. The only thing we need right now is the peace because people living up this side have family on the other side and we want to know that we can come and go freely."

Responding to residents' concerns that she had not gone to the constituency when the four persons were shot, Mrs. Henry-Wilson said: "My absence was due to the fact that I did not know that individuals involved in the shooting had returned from the hospital."