Reports of bribery, voter intimidation, box stuffing out west
WESTERN BUREAU — There were allegations of bribery, voter intimidation and ballot box stuffing as voters in western parishes slowly trickled out to elect their local government representatives yesterday.
But except for some tense moments and an unrelated shooting in the Glendevon Division in the north western end of St James, the day’s events progressed peacefully.
From as early as 3:00 am, lawmen were out in force in Glendevon, one of the hotspots that had shown signs that there may be problems in the days leading up to the local polls. Before noon, there was a barrage of gunshots as a long-standing family feud erupted. No one was hit but the police are now seeking one man in connection with the incident; and lawmen maintained a strong presence in the area throughout the day.
And over in the Granville Division in West Central St James, the incumbent, People’s National Party councillor Michael Troupe, complained that his supporters were being intimidated and asked the police to remove a throng of Jamaica Labour Party supporters from the gate that led into the primary school where there was a cluster of polling stations.
And at that same location, a PNP activist was seen handing out $1,000 bills to voters after they had assured him that they had cast their votes for Troupe.
The police had to reign in over-exuberant JLP supporters at Howard Cooke Primary after a large group of them attempted to enter the polling station together. The police quickly brought the situation under control, as they did at Holland Primary in St Elizabeth after a minor confrontation.
That skirmish began after a JLP supporter turned up, without proper identification, and was not allowed to vote.
She left, but later returned with a group of friends who demanded that she be allowed to cast her ballot. The situation did not get out of control, however, as the police quickly intervened.
And over at Santa Cruz Primary, the JLP’s Basil Perriel had a verbal clash with a returning officer whom he accused of stuffing ballot boxes. Again, quick intervention by the police quashed the situation before it became too volatile.
Along with Trelawny, the parish of Westmoreland was incident-free throughout the day, with deserted streets giving the feeling that it was a Sunday. Many voters in communities widely known for their lack of proper infrastructure and utilities, such as the Hopeton Division in Eastern Westmoreland and Little Bay in the western end of the parish, were noticeably absent from the polls.
Some community members told the Observer that they had lost all faith in politics and politicians and had therefore opted to stay away.
But the PNP managed to hold onto nine of the four divisions in the parish, again shutting out the JLP.
Over in North Trelawny, the JLP picked up an additional seat — Wakefield — and now has three of the five divisions. They won seven of the nine seats in the entire parish. The PNP managed to hold onto the Falmouth Division even after former PNP member of Parliament, Wendell “Bull Bull” Stewart, ran as an independent. He only got 82 votes.
In Hanover, the JLP took four of the seven seats, with the PNP losing the capital of Lucea.
The JLP now has control of St James, winning 10 of the 17 divisions.