NOMINATION day activities in two constituencies critical to the September 3 polls in St Catherine — South Eastern and East Central — went smoothly on Tuesday, despite fears that an overnight fire could’ve triggered retaliation.

Former Member of Parliament (MP) and candidate for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in St Catherine East Central, Alando Terrelonge, was very upset about the previous night’s fire, which he said had breached the rights of a shop owner and follows the spray painting of walls and other facilities with graffiti.

“Jamaica is a democratic country, everyone must have the right to make their own political choices. Alando is the MP they know they can trust, so no outsider can come into the community when the people don’t even know you. We are family in Gregory Park and we reject this,” he added.

“We will not allow outsiders to destroy the peace, unity, growth, development, and prosperity we have worked so hard to build over the last four years,” Terrelonge noted.

Responding to the charges, People’s National Party (PNP) candidate for the constituency Raymond Pryce rejected the suggestions linking his campaign with the incidents.

“It is a very tragic situation for the affected family, and I am making all the efforts to reach out to the family, because no one should be placed in such a position in these trying times,” he said.

Pryce also called on the political ombudsman to assist in having Terrelonge remove his social media post blaming him for the incident.

However, despite the fierce exchange between the two candidates, the nomination activities went smoothly, with both Labourites and Comrades sharing the available space.

Over in St Catherine South Eastern, a seat held for the last 18 years by the PNP’s Colin Fagan, the camaraderie was even more entertaining as supporters from both sides exchanged greetings and assessed their chances.

Fagan expressed confidence in his campaign, which was highlighted by a huge trailer, loaded with music and all sorts of paraphernalia.

“I have no doubt that I will be re-elected. The people have confidence in my representation over the years, and I am sure that they want me to continue fulfilling their needs. I promise to continue along that line and I am sure that, as usual, it will continue to pay dividends for me,” he added.

But, his opponent Robert “Big Rob” Miller did not agree with him and felt that he had failed to improve the lives of the constituents.

“I think that the MP has failed. I think he got his opportunity and he has failed to make use of the opportunity to make people’s lives better, and I think that he is on his last days to retirement,” Miller said.

He referred to increased crimes in Bridgeport, including murders, which, according to him, Fagan has failed to address.

Miller said, too, that as a caretaker, he has been trying to do a lot, including addressing sewage issues in Edgewater, which he described as “very serious”.

He said that he has encouraged the National Water Commission to do an analysis of the problems, and is expecting that, after the election, he will be in a much better position to address these issues.