PNP: Honour Bloomfield by retaining East Portland

Port Antonio, Portland:

People’s National Party (PNP) General Secretary Julian Robinson has urged Eastern Portland supporters to ensure the seat remains in the party’s control after the yet-to-be-announced by-election.

The seat, which became vacant following the murder of Member of Parliament Dr Lynvale Bloomfield just over a week ago, has been in the party’s winning column since 1989.

“We have to honour his (Bloomfield’s) death by retaining East Portland,” Robinson told supporters at a candlelight vigil for the slain politician at the PNP’s Eastern Portland constituency office in Port Antonio on Sunday.

“We are not going to give up this seat, and I call upon every Comrade to turn out in their numbers to support our quest for victory,” Robinson urged party supporters.

“It is a sad day in Jamaica’s politics when an MP and a doctor can be brutally murdered in this manner. This is a period of mourning, and we express our sympathy to those affected. This is a peaceful parish and we will not allow others to capture our legacy,” he continued.

Dozens of PNP supporters and other residents marched through Port Antonio in a show of solidarity for the slain MP.

Bloomfield’s nude body, with multiple stab wounds, was found at his Passley Gardens home in the parish on February 2.

So far, investigators have discovered two knives with traces of blood, along with a bloodied vest, which have been sent to the forensic laboratory for testing. Additionally, the MP’s primary cell phone is missing.