Bloomfield savagery foreign to Portland, says Phillips
Published:Thursday | February 7, 2019 | 12:00 AM
PORT ANTONIO, Portland:
In a show of solidarity for slain Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Lynvale Bloomfield, Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips yesterday signed two condolence books on an eventful day that also saw tears flowing down the cheeks of Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) prospective candidate Ann-Marie Vaz.
Phillips, along with other top-brass members of the People’s National Party (PNP), including Fitz Jackson, Dr Morais Guy, and Mikael Phillips, first signed a condolence book at the constituency office of the late MP and then headed off to the Portland Parish Library, where he repeated the ritual.
“I think it’s most important for us to recognise that this kind of savagery and brutality is not typical of the people of Portland, and indeed is quite contrary to kind of the life of service lived not only by Bloomfield, but by those who preceded him.”
According to Phillips, he is hoping that the people of Portland will draw close to the Christian values that Bloomfield represented and not seek revenge.
“The party wants to mourn as well as to celebrate this life of service which Dr Bloomfield manifested. And that is what we are going to do over the next few weeks,” the opposition leader added. “We will be spending time sharing memories of his life and service as a politician and as a medical doctor. We have a collective resolve that Jamaica will not yield to those who are purveyors of violence and values of materialism who have found their way into our midst.”
Ann-Marie Vaz turned up at the parish library to sign the condolence book, supported by three sitting councillors from East Portland.