PEOPLE’S NATIONAL PARTY
59th ANNUAL CONFERENCE
FORWARD TO VICTORY AND
TO A NEW CENTURY
CODE OF ETHICS FOR POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVES
Be it resolved. that this 59th Annual Conference of the People’s National Party endorses the following Code of Ethics which must be necessarily embraced by all its candidates seeking political office in the representation of the people of Jamaica, in general and Parish Council Elections.
That a political candidate shall uphold and comply with the provisions of the Representation of the People’s Act and behave in a manner consistent with the mentions of that Act.
That in particular a political candidate may not assist in or cause or allow duplication or falsification of any electoral list.
That further a political candidate shall exercise all efforts in ensuring that only those persons permitted to be present at polling station under the provisions of Section 41 of the Representation of the Peoples Act, shall be present during the time that a poll remains open and the political candidate shall expend all efforts in preventing the invasion of polling stations by unauthorized persons.
A political candidate shall conduct an election campaign with integrity and shall expressly refrain from using defamatory or inflammatory language and conduct towards his opponent.
A political candidate shall ensure that all campaigning activity be consistent with the maintenance of good order and civil obedience.
A political candidate shall exercise vigilance in ensuring that his/her fellow candidates who indulge in violence or the encouragement thereof, gun running, gun distribution or the encouragement thereof, drug trafficking and any other criminal activity shall be reported to the Party’s Discipline Committee and in this regard a political candidate shall not be at liberty to ignore said illegal behavior on behalf of fellow candidates.
A political candidate shall acknowledge the rights, responsibilities and duties of the constabulary and armed forces in the maintenance of law and order and in seconding the peace during all electoral exercise leading up to the data of a poll, on the polling day and thereafter.
In this regard, a political candidate shall publicly recognise the right of the security and armed force personnel to enter into any community and take all necessary legitimate action in the prevention of criminal act and the preservation of law and order.
The political candidates shall not exercise or seek to exercise any political influence or authority over the security or armed force personnel to frustrate or prevent their legitimate discharge of duty.
A political candidate shall not seek to utilize any political influence or authority over the security or armed force personnel or to encourage the dereliction of duty or wrongdoing on their part.
A political candidate shall in all instances of confrontation or potential confrontation between a member of the security, constabulary or armed force and community members take all possible steps for the amelioration of any such volatile or potentially dangerous situation and shall not in any instance pit communities or members against members of the security or armed forces.
A political candidate shall endorse and facilitate the formation of community consultative committees where possible, which committees shall deal with interalia
- community/police relations;
- bi-partite or tri-partite political interaction or consultations;
- dissemination of scarce benefits/contracts and political patronage on a more cross sectional and representative basis.
A political candidate shall undertake political education programmes at various levels throughout his/her constituency to encourage greater participation of all members in decision-making process.
A political candidate shall fully embrace the content and spirit of the peace agreement wrought between the recognized political parties.
And be it further resolved that as a precondition for nomination, every candidate of the People’s National Party required to sign this Code of Ethics binding them to observe its contents and that the Party’s Disciplinary Committee be entrusted with the responsibility of recommending to the Executive the recall or removal of any candidate in breach of this Code of Ethics and that the Executive be authorized to act on such recommendation as it may consider appropriate.
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