Three PNP Candidates Seeking Judicial Review of ‘Unlawful’ Removal of Campaign Signs

Three prospective candidates for the People’s National Party, PNP, in St. James are seeking judicial review of the Municipal Corporation’s decision to remove their campaigns signs across the parish.

Dr. Andre Haughton, Senator Janice Allen and Allan Bernard have asked the Supreme Court to step into the growing political dispute.

The prospective candidates say they are being victimised by the JLP-led local authority.

Shaloy Smikle has more in this report.

Dr. Andre Haughton is seeking to unseat Marlene Malahoo Forte in West Central St. James, Janice Allen is mounting a challenge to Heroy Clarke in Central St. James and Allan Bernard is seeking to take down JLP veteran Dr. Horace Chang in North West St. James.

The PNP lost all three seats by more than a thousand votes in the last General Election.

The prospective candidates have complained to the Supreme Court that at least 15 of their campaign posters have been removed by the local authority without communicating with them.

The comrades are alleging a motion passed by the Municipal Council prohibiting political posters is inconsistent with existing regulations.

They say that the fact that more than fifty four months have passed since the government took office, the country is effectively in an election period and therefore their posters are lawfully erected.

The comrades say to find otherwise would be an absurdity.

They are asking the Supreme Court to find that the St. James Municipal Corporation’s decision to remove the posters were unlawful, irrational, unreasonable and a breach of natural justice and procedural fairness.

They also want the court to direct the local authority to return and restore the posters and signs which have been removed.

The trio are being represented by attorney at law Maurice McCurdy.

The JLP’s Richard Vernon is Mayor of Montego Bay and chairman of the Municipal Corporation. When our news centre contacted him on Thursday, he declined to comment on the court action, noting he was focused on responding to a letter from the political ombudsman regarding the issue.

ECJ chairman, Earl Jarrett, has written to Vernon requesting a response after the PNP filed a complaint about the removal of the signs. The Mayor has been asked to respond by May 6.

The ECJ is now performing the functions of the Ombudsman.

Meanwhile, the Opposition PNP says it’s standing by the decision of its three prospective candidates in St James to petition the Supreme Court regarding the removal of campaign posters across the parish.

The posters were removed by the St. James Municipal Corporation on the orders of Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon.

In a release on Thursday, the PNP, in supporting the candidates, described the move as a blatant and unlawful act by the Corporation.

According to the PNP, political competition must be fair and untainted by partisan interference from public institutions.

It’s further calling on the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, ECJ, as well as other oversight bodies, to take note of what it describes as the troubling developments during the campaign season.

Photo credit: The Observer