President of the People’s National Party (right) and Janice Allen recently cut ribbon to symbolically open party's St James Central constituency office in Montego Bay.
May 1, 2025
ST JAMES, Jamaica— The People’s National Party (PNP) says it fully supports three of its St James standard-bearers who have filed for leave to apply for Judicial Review in the Supreme Court against decisions of the St James Municipal Corporation (SJMC) to remove lawful political advertising in the parish.
Dr Andre Haughton, Senator Janice Allen, and Allan Bernard, have described the removals as blatantly unlawful.
The PNP representatives want: judicial review of the SJMC’s decision to remove their political billboards, a reversal of that decision, a writ of certiorari preventing further interference, and an order of mandamus compelling the return and reinstatement of their signage. They are also seeking damages for abuse of authority by the municipal body.
Haughton described the move as “political harassment masquerading as governance,”
Allen said “Our democracy must never be sacrificed at the altar of partisan control. What we’re witnessing is a dangerous overreach that threatens the credibility of the electoral process.”
Bernard framed the issue as one of principle and fairness. “We’re not just defending our campaigns, we’re defending the right of every Jamaican to contest elections on equal terms. The rules must apply to all, not just to some. This is a fight for balance, transparency, and the soul of our democracy.”
The party is calling on the Electoral Commission of Jamaica and other oversight bodies to take “immediate note of these troubling developments”. It maintained that political competition must be free, fair, and untainted by partisan interference from public institutions.