Embassy says PNP paid to diminish protest

Senior members of the People's National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) provided the United States Embassy in Kingston with a look at the dirty underbelly of Jamaican politics in the aftermath of the 2005 all-island protest.

A diplomatic cable from the US Embassy reported that an executive member of the PNP explained that the party paid area leaders not to participate in the September 6, 2005 demonstration called by the then Opposition JLP.

According to the cable, a member of the PNP's National Executive Council pointed to the violent gas riot of 1999 which he said was backed by supporters of the then governing PNP and the Opposition JLP as the reason the party shelled out money to dons to keep communities quiet.

The cable said the PNP official claimed the party had taken measures to ensure that the 2005 demonstration did not take a similar violent and disruptive route by discouraging its constituencies across the island from the lawless behaviour.

"He said the party had sent its local representatives to communities to 'lubricate' influential community leaders, including 'handing out money'," alleged the cable.

"(He) said that the party's efforts had been successful, implying that primarily JLP supporters were causing trouble during the … demonstrations," added the cable.

The embassy further claimed that the PNP executive member accepted that the demonstration by the JLP was not irresponsible but that the party was worried that certain aggressive elements in the then opposition could incite violence.

Then Opposition Leader Bruce Golding had called the demonstration in what he said was a desire to protest against a series of price hikes which had left many Jamaicans fuming.

'out of the news'

But the US Embassy officials said days before the demonstration, a senior member of the JLP had boasted that the party planned the demonstration for the same day several regional leaders were in Montego Bay to sign the PetroCaribe agreement because it "had been out of the news lately".

"Perhaps in a moment of unintended candour, (he) cheerfully acknowledged that the JLP had been out of the news lately and needed to remind voters that it remains a force," said the cable.

This was reportedly contradicted by another high-ranking member of the JLP who denied that the PetroCaribe signing in Montego Bay was taken into consideration when the demonstration was planned.

According to the cable, the high-ranking JLP member described the protest as a success, even though "he did lament that some persons had become unruly".