PNP ONLY ACTIVE OUTSIDE A DI OFFICE

‘Big Man’, leave schoolgirls alone!
PNP reactivates Community Charter for Youth Month 2016

The People’s National Party (PNP) will be seeking to build stronger, better and safer communities as part of its annual Youth, Local Government and Community Month activities celebrated in November.

A party statement weekend announced it was reactivating its “Community Charter/Livity Code (2010)”, which is a “community mobilisation and public education project” mainly aimed at communities in which the PNP “enjoys support and can assert some positive influence in this regard”.

Among its 15 tenets, the code urged: ‘Big Man’, if that’s what you really are, leave schoolgirls alone. Do not buy, intimidate or bully them into relationships. Let them grow up and finish school.”

It also implored communities to condemn all rapists, mobilise against gang warfare, community conflicts, violence, robbery, killings, cocaine which it describes as a “slow poison” and a “merchant of death”, as well as to practise safe sex.

The Community Charter was developed originally in the party’s Region Three in the mid 2000s as a values and attitude programme to prevent and/or mitigate corner and community conflicts which had the potential of evolving into gang warfare and criminality. It was revised and upgraded as the 2010 Community Charter/Livity Code and formally launched by then National Security Minister Dwight Nelson and then Leader of the Opposition Portia Simpson Miller, with strong support from then Mayor Desmond McKenzie.

Outgoing PNP General Secretary Paul Burke announced the reactivation at last month’s National Executive Council Meeting, insisting that “the party, while in Opposition, has to continue playing both an active and proactive role in discouraging criminal activities and, by extension, building safer communities”.

Region Three Chairman Phillip Paulwell has welcomed the project, saying that the intervention was both timely and necessary. Kingston Mayor Dr Angela Brown Burke noted that councillors would once again promote the Community Charter and Livity Code in their ongoing community work, and especially during Local Government and Community Month, which begins tomorrow.

Following are the 15 tenets of the code:

• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Respect others.

• Courtesy, good manners and respect for others, particularly the elderly, are essential factors for a better and peaceful community.

• Encourage our children to attend school all the time and on time.

• ‘Big Man’, if that’s what you really are, leave schoolgirls alone. Do not buy, intimidate or bully them into relationships. Let them grow up and finish school.

• Respect our women. Women respect yourselves and respect other women.

• Black man, the strength of our race is in our families. Be responsible fathers. Protect, love and look after our children.

• Support community programmes and activities. Keep the community clean.

• Be environmentally conscious. Protect the environment to the best of your ability – clean air and water and unpolluted soil are essential to future generations.

• Protect our community property, schools, churches, and community centres.

• Political tribalism is a man-made disease. Do not let our different political persuasions divide us. Let us live and work together peacefully and harmoniously.

• No rape. Condemn all rapists.

• Mobilise your community against gang warfare, community conflicts, violence, robbery, rape and killings.

• Cocaine is slow poison. The cocaine merchant is a merchant of death. Banish them from our community.

• Co-operate with the police. We must work together to build safer communities. Ensure that they act properly and professionally.

• Practise safe sex. Use a condom.