People’s National Party candidate for St Thomas Eastern Dr Fenton Ferguson said yesterday that for the first time in his political and professional career in the constituency, he has had to make a police report over the deviant behaviour of another candidate and he also intends to make one to the political ombudsman and seek the counsel of his lawyer.

Dr Ferguson, in a news release, said the report is as a result of the action of Jamaica Labour Party’s Delano Seivwright in a press release on Sunday (February 7) followed by a newspaper article on Monday (February 8).

The minister of labour said he was touring the Cashew Bush area of his constituency doing house-to-house calls starting at 1:00 pm, and on leaving there towards Chapel Hill Road, he was told by his supporters that Seivwright had told JLP supporters to block the road so that the PNP supporters could not pass.

Dr Ferguson said he continued on foot with his supporters and realised that some JLP supporters were coming from the opposite direction. He gladly noticed that people on the other side of the political fence were exchanging pleasantries “…with my supporters and myself”.

After meeting with the residents and on leaving the premises next door the offices of the JLP, where he understood a worker’s meeting was in session, a large group of JLP supporters led by Delano Seivwright, emerged from the premises, Dr Ferguson said.

“To my disappointment and utter shock, when I was passing Delano Seivwright he said in a most threatening way: ‘Fenton, your day will come.’”

A PNP supporter among the group that was walking with Dr Ferguson asked the JLP candidate whether or not what he said was a threat. Another PNP supporter urged Dr Ferguson not to answer Mr Seivwright, the statement went on.

Ferguson said that he was shocked to later learn that the JLP candidate had been saying that among the PNP supporters — who were all from his constituency — was a gunman from East Kingston. As the group continued towards Seaside, the police came directly to and searched a resident of Eastern St Thomas, reporting that they were told he was in possession of a firearm.

“Let me categorically state that as a result of this search, no firearm was found and no arrest was made and in this regard, I am calling on the St. Thomas police, Area Two command and the office of the Commissioner of Police to issue a statement as such,” Ferguson said. “I am also calling on the office of the Political Ombudsman to speedily investigate the matter and clear my good name of the disreputable accusations made.

“In past campaigns and even when my PNP offices were burnt down three times — once in Port Morant and twice in Lyssons — I have never reacted to these happenings, although seen as deliberate provocations.

“In my 37 years as a dental surgeon and in politics, I have never been seen or known as a citizen associated with gunmen and/or political hoodlums. In fact, former mayors, deputy mayors and councillors from the JLP have joined the PNP because of my respectable style. Why would they have come and join my team if i was known to be associated with gunmen?

“Unfortunately, I can come to no other conclusion other than that of Delano Seivwright deliberately and maliciously without cause, seeking to tarnish my reputation as an upstanding and law-abiding citizen.

“Mr Seivwright’s actions and utterances are way outside of the lines of ensuring that Jamaica has a peaceful election and I call on him to publicly withdraw the damaging comments he made of my association with gunmen within 48 hours,” Ferguson said