KINGSTON, Jamaica —The People’s National Party (PNP) is accusing the government of spending public resources in East Portland to influence the upcoming by election.

In a statement yesterday, PNP General Secretary Julian Robinson said there have been scores of Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supporters in green t-shirts have been engaged in de-bushing activities along the main road, leading into Port Antonio.

Robinson claimed that this has become the normal pattern of behaviour for the government in the past, “culminating in a spending spree of $1 billion during the recent South East St Mary by election”.

He said less than two weeks ago he wrote to Political Ombudsman, Donna Parchment Brown, making a similar complaint after a temporary bridge was brought into East Portland in what he alleged is an attempt to influence votes.

The PNP general secretary said based on preliminary investigation, the debushing programme is being implemented by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo).

He admitted that elements of the project had been worked out while late Member of Parliament, Lynvale Bloomfield, was in office but said it now seems that “the JLP is proceeding in the usual vulgar manner by selecting its supporters clad in green for the work project”.

Robinson said the party would again be writing the Ombudsman seeking her intervention on the spending and calls on the watchdog groups to ensure fairness in the election process.

PNP Senator Damion Crawford will be contesting the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) standard-bearer Ann-Marie Vaz in the upcoming by-election to replace Bloomfield, who was stabbed to death at his home in Passley Gardens in Portland on February 2.

A date for the election has not yet been announced.