PNP to challenge injunction blocking Clarendon council leadership vote

The People's National Party (PNP) says it plans to go to court to seek to have an injunction barring the Clarendon Municipal Corporation from holding a no-confidence vote on the leadership of the local authority overturned.

The PNP argues that, with the party holding a majority in the corporation, the leadership of the municipality should reflect the change in the balance of power.

“What has happened today is profoundly anti-democratic,” the party asserted in a statement on Friday.

The application to block the vote was filed by Mayor of May Pen Joel Williams and his deputy, Clivelee Mundle, with the Clarendon Municipal Corporation named as the respondent.

The ex parte application was filed on Thursday and heard in chambers on Friday morning.

The stay of proceedings will remain in place until November 13, when the matter is to be heard in court.

A special meeting of the municipal corporation was called for Friday, at which PNP councillors were expected to seek the removal of Williams and Mundle, who represent the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), and take over the leadership of the corporation.

The move came as JLP Councillor Tanyalee Williams prepared to switch her political allegiance to the PNP, shifting the balance in the 22-member council from an 11-11 split to 12-10 and giving the PNP a majority.

Williams declared her political switch at Friday’s meeting, and the change was recorded in the municipal corporation’s records.

However, while her political allegiance has changed, the court injunction prevents any change in the corporation’s leadership until the matter is heard.

The PNP has taken issue with the court action by Williams and Mundle and plans to challenge it.

“We will be taking the matter back to court to seek to have the ex parte order (obtained without notice to the PNP councillors, and without them being represented in court) set aside so that the meeting can be held and the appropriate resolutions passed to restore democratic governance with majority control of the corporation,” the party said.

“The PNP now holds a clear 12-10 majority, and the leadership of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation must be allowed to reflect the will of the people.”

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