SENIOR members of the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) yesterday raked prime minister and leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Andrew Holness over the coals for what they view as his suggestion that the recent killing of a JLP supporter could be politically motivated.

They launched the broadside after signing a code of conduct that will determine the parties’ behaviour in the run-up to, and during, the September 3 General Election.

PNP spokesman on national security Fitz Jackson said the prime minister needs to apologise for his “deliberate and irresponsible” comments. “He should make an apology to the country and withdraw those comments that he made. It is inflammatory, it is dangerous,” said Jackson.

Paul Henry was shot and killed at the gate to his home in Rocky Settlement on Monday night, shortly after erecting billboards for Pearnel Charles Jr, the JLP’s incumbent in Clarendon South Eastern.

Charles Jr has steadily maintained that the killing, along with other recent events in the constituency, were meant to intimidate. The police have not confirmed any political link to the killing and were also unable to confirm reports that it may have been gang related.

During yesterday’s signing ceremony in which the parties declared their commitment to following the political code of conduct outlined for the impending elections, Holness called for strong action against crimes proven to be politically motived.

“I believe the time has come where we should classify political crimes as hate crimes,” he said. “I believe the time has come that we should not cover acts of criminality, as just [simply] acts of criminality. If they happened in a context, they must be deliberately investigated to discover if there were any motivation that was political in the crime.”

But PNP General Secretary Julian Robinson, who rubbished the implication that there was a political link to Henry’s death, urged the prime minister to be more responsible in his utterances, as his comments may lead to further violence. “The wife of the man [Paul Henry] killed said it had nothing to do with politics. The prime minister cannot make statements like that. I am rejecting this thing about confrontational politics,” said Robinson.

PNP President Peter Phillips also weighed in on the issue. Harking back to the “circumstances of the 1980 General Election when almost 1,000 Jamaicans lost their lives due to political violence”, he said political leaders have a responsibility to ensure that their utterances do not contribute to heightening tension.

“Like any great undertaking, if it is to succeed, [the code of conduct] requires the engagement of the entire community,” he said. “The code of political conduct, if it is to contribute to the culture change that we all seek, then it is going to require the engagement of all the key stakeholders. Political leaders have a responsibility to measure their own words and comments and to ensure that they don’t wittingly or unwittingly contribute to violence or confrontation by loose talk.”

And the PNP’s general secretary also used the occasion to take a swipe at Holness for calling an election during a pandemic, leaving the Opposition no choice but to go to the polls and take safety precautions as they do so.

“We are committed and supportive of every step of the way to abide by protocols… because we do not want an outbreak,” said Robinson. “The prime minister, even with [COVID-19 at its] peak, decided to call an election at this time. Now we do not have a choice but to participate.”

Safety protocols were widely ignored during Nomination Day, and in the past few weeks there has been a noticeable increase in the daily tally of cases. Two JLP candidates, Robert Montague and Andrew Wheatley, were forced to use stand-ins on Nomination Day after going into self-isolation because they had been in contact with St Mary Mayor Don Creary who tested positive for COVID-19. Yesterday, the JLP announced that Montague’s test had come back negative.

The joint Agreement and Declaration on Political Conduct was signed by Holness and Phillips.

Political Ombudsman Donna Parchment Brown told the Jamaica Observer the signing had been live-streamed “so all of Jamaica will hear that the party leaders say, ‘We believe in the code, we support the code, we want our people to obey the code.’ “ She added that there continues to be an absolute desire on the part of Jamaicans to have great relationships with one another as well as love and respect for their political leaders.