Portmore mayor accuses JLP supporters of disrupting parish stakeholders meeting
Published:Thursday | February 20, 2025 | 12:14 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
A stakeholders’ meeting called to discuss Portmore’s parish status ended in chaos Tuesday night as political tensions flared between supporters of the People’s National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
Mayor of Portmore Leon Thomas has accused supporters of JLP members of parliament Alando Terrelonge, of St Catherine East Central, and Robert Miller, for St Catherine South East, of using intimidatory tactics to disrupt the meeting, which was held in the city municipality’s meeting room.
Several JLP supporters, some wearing party T-shirts and carrying placards reading ‘We want Portmore parish’, descended on the meeting, sparking a standoff with PNP supporters, some of whom were also clad in their party’s branded attire.
“You could see clearly that there was a plan afoot by the Jamaica Labour Party supporters decked out in their party colours and were well prepared with placards to disrupt the meeting,” Thomas said.
“All of this start with the members of parliament who organised and had their supporters turn up in buses, some coming from outside of Portmore.”
He added, “It was something I have never seen before. I have been living in Portmore for a very long time, from December 7, 1983, and I never see people turning up with placards to disrupt consultation meetings when we were discussing the establishment of the city municipality.”
The disruption began when a participant asked about the responsibility for setting constituency versus parish boundaries. When Terrelonge responded, he asserted that consultations had been held across the municipality. However, this was quickly dismissed by PNP spokesman on Portmore Affairs, Fitz Jackson, who credited the PNP and deceased former mayor George Lee for championing the cause of the Portmore people and ensuring their voices were heard in consultations.
Terrelonge countered by invoking the late former Prime Minister Edward Seaga, crediting him as one of Portmore’s builders. This statement sparked a raucous response from JLP supporters, who cheered and displayed their placards, escalating the situation further as PNP supporters reacted angrily.
During the ensuing melee, Thomas attempted to restore order by confiscating some of the placards, physically grabbing them from demonstrators. Reflecting on his actions, he later took responsibility and issued an apology.
“Yes, I overreacted and I apologise to the people of Portmore. What I was trying to do is get the placards out of the room so that the meeting could continue. It was an important meeting to hear the residents’ concerns and get feedback from them and to clarify issues relating to lingering questions on the parish status. To see it disintegrate into this chaotic scene was troubling to me,” Thomas said.
Indicating that the municipality would ensure that residents continue to have a forum to express their opinions on the matter, he confirmed that additional consultation meetings are planned and will be held at the HEART Academy.
Meanwhile, both Miller and Terrelonge denied organising their supporters, stating that they had been in Parliament and were unaware of the meeting until the day it occurred.
On February 11, the House of Representatives passed a bill amending the Counties and Parishes Act to make Portmore Jamaica’s 15th parish. The bill now awaits approval from the Senate before proceeding to the governor-general’s desk for assent.