Charles lashes Golding in social media rant

Member of Parliament (MP) for Eastern St Thomas Dr Michelle Charles has launched a broadside on social media against Opposition Leader Mark Golding for reportedly instigating animosity during his recent visit to Old Pera in the parish.

Last week, Golding led a team to the community, reportedly upon the request of residents, who say they are being deprived access to the beach and disputed island, which was said to be captured by leisure entrepreneurs who set up a camp site that generated revenue for residents.

The operation was recently shut down by retired parliamentarian Pearnel Charles Sr, who told The Gleaner that he is the owner of the land. Signs to indicate that it was private property were also erected and the area fenced off.

During his visit, Golding condemned the erection of the signs and defended what he deemed to be the right of residents to enjoy what he dubbed as generational access to the property.

The Opposition leader also accused the MP of being in a comprising role as representative of the people and being the daughter of Charles Sr. According to Golding, the MP “seemed to have sided with her family’s commercial interest. That’s a conflict, and her role as MP has been compromised if that’s the position she took”.

He later suggested that the public defender should have a look into the matter to preserve the community’s rights.

In a video posted to her personal Twitter page on Sunday, the MP for Eastern St Thomas lashed out at Golding, indicating that he is encouraging squatters instead of independence, and conflict instead of development.

Charles said: “You didn’t come to Pera to see what the Government of Jamaica has planned. I came and welcomed you on this property, thinking you wanted to see the beautiful beaches ... . But that’s not what you wanted. You wanted to make it seem as if we have a conflict with the people of Pera. Well, we don’t have a conflict, we are all one here in Eastern St Thomas. I’m the member of parliament for everybody and we’re going to develop it.

“Instead [of coming to] look at the highway and see what we are doing as a government, you don’t want to see the highway. Did you come to go to Bath Botanical Gardens? No, you didn’t want to go there and patronise the people … . You didn’t go to the lighthouse … check out Lyssons Beach … Morant Bay, and see where Paul Bogle’s statue used to be so you can encourage us to get it back … . You jump in your car with your team of people, come to eastern St Thomas to stir up and cause rift … . You cause people to not want to invest.”

Charles, who last week noted that the no-access signs were erected to ward off arsonists suspected of destroying hundreds of acres of sugar cane lands, shared in the video that the fences were built to keep cattle in line.

Defending her and her father’s love for constituents, Charles further lashed out: “You’re going to come on national TV, all over social media and draw me out as the MP that’s not for the people? You don’t know this MP. I’m for the people and the development of Eastern St Thomas and nothing you do… was going to disrupt our future.”

Continuing, she charged: “You might have made us lose one investor that had planned to come to Jamaica this weekend and they’re not coming because you want to invite the public prosecutor. Instead [of calling] the public prosecutor to come and look at the farmlands … and help them to settle their leases, that is what a leader would do, you don’t do that.”

Charles accused Golding of not visiting “St Thomas to uplift us”. Instead, she said: “You came to incite violence and to cause conflicts, but they know who they voted for and I will continue to fight for the people of Eastern St Thomas and that my father loves the people of Eastern St Thomas, and he has never done anything to harm them.”

editorial@gleanerjm.com