Omar Anderson, Gleaner WriterThe Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) yesterday said it did not believe Central St. Catherine Member of Parliament Olivia 'Babsy' Grange breached the recently-signed Code of Political Conduct.
On Thursday, Ms. Grange narrowly escaped death after gunmen shot up a car in which she and Andrew 'Bunman' Hope drove, following a peace meeting with People's National Party (PNP) factions
Several members of the 'One Order' gang, which Mr. Hope heads, were also shot, resulting in one fatality.
most politicians signed
Most politicians signed the code on September 22, this year. The code requires, among other things, that politicians dissociate themselves from criminals, and refuse their financial contributions.
But yesterday, JLP spokesman Dwight Nelson said Ms. Grange's presence in the same vehicle with Mr. Hope should not be regarded as breaching the code.
"This (meeting) was designed to bring back some sanity to the town, so this couldn't be interpreted as aiding and abetting a crime," he told The Sunday Gleaner.
Contacted yesterday, Political Ombudsman Bishop Herro Blair, said he would look into the matter.
"If it turns out to be a breach,
I must make a report to Parliament," he said.
Speaking last Wednesday at the weekly luncheon of the Lion's Club of Kingston, Bishop Blair announced that he would be instituting constituency committees to help monitor breaches of the code.
He said a tribunal would be set up in his office to investigate reports of breaches. Politicians will then
be reported to their
respective parties,
to Parliament, or
to the Director of
Public Prosecutions if
necessary.
Meanwhile, a release from the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) showed that as of Friday, September 23, this year, 15 MPs had not signed the Code of Political Conduct. Nine of them are from the PNP. They include Deputy House Speaker O.T. Williams, and South Central MP, Sharon Hay Webster, who attended Thursday's peace meeting.
The six JLP MPs who have not yet signed the code include James Robertson, deputy leader in charge of Area Council Two, and Central Clarendon MP Mike Henry.
A total of five PNP and JLP senators have not yet signed as well, according to the PSOJ document.
