| PNP heavyweights blast Seaga/Golding |
| By Lincoln Ward Observer St Elizabeth correspondent Monday, October 14, 2002 |
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| Phillips... Golding models his life and politics off Seaga. |
The People's National Party (PNP) appreciably stepped up its campaign in South-West St Elizabeth, over the past week with massive motorcades and mass meetings.
The PNP team in the parish was led by party president P J Patterson. Along with Patterson were vice-president Peter Phillips, Ronald Thwaites and candidate for the constituency, Donald Buchanan.
In an address to party supporters at Cross Roads, St Elizabeth, Phillips said that this election was "perhaps the most serious of all" as with it came the chance of putting an end to the type of politics Edward Seaga (leader of the opposition Jamaica Labour Party) represents.
He said that whenever people spoke out against Seaga, they are always accused of demonising him.
Seaga, he said, needed nobody to demonise him, as he has always demonised himself with his various utterances. He re-canted some of the various quotes attributed to the Opposition leader, such as the threat to lock down Jamaica and to fight "blood for blood, fire for fire" as well as the recent quote about Jamaicans and rum.
Phillips said that the recent move to get Bruce Golding back into the fold of the JLP was a desperate act by desperate people. Golding, he said, was trained by Edward Seaga, and had modelled his life and politics off the Opposition leader, adding that Jamaica could not afford another period of a 'Seaga clone'.
Addressing a PNP campaign meeting in Cotterwood, St Elizabeth the following day, former Central Kingston MP Ronald Thwaites started by saying that he decided to give up his seat, as he had fallen into financial difficulties and did not think he could adequately represent the constituents, with his problems hanging around him.
He then referred to Seaga, who, he said, owed it to the people of Jamaica to get his house in order before seeking to direct the affairs of the Jamaican people. This, he said, should take some time as the debts owed by Seaga were massive, compared to his.
Thwaites also had strong words for Bruce Golding, who he said was an opportunist seeking power at all costs.