Daraine Luton, Staff Reporter

Blair

THE POLITICAL ombudsman wants the power to recommend to Parliament the recall of elected officials.

In its annual report, tabled in Parliament last week, the Office of the Political Ombudsman recommended several changes to the Political Code of Conduct, the gentleman's agreement, which now governs the behaviour of politicians.

The office, which is currently headed by Herro Blair, said the political ombudsman should be given the power to "recommend to parliament the removal of candidates found to be unfit for office and the responsibility of public political representation".

Halt on verbal attacks

The Office of the Political Ombudsman also wants the power to force parties to withdraw candidates, who mount derogatory verbal attacks during campaigns.

Political intimidation and clashes have been a feature of Jamaican politics. The Office of the Political Ombudsman and the Peace Management Initiative was called on several times, in the lead-up to the September 3, 2007, general election, to defuse tension.

The Office of the Political Ombudsman said it received 70 complaints during the campaign. Three of these were categorised as political murders.

Media advertisements

Meanwhile, the office said the content of political advertisement "should no longer be the artwork of technological experts, who mis-represent or distort the truth in proclaiming political messages".

Commenting on media advertise-ments used in the 2007 election campaign, the report said that "creativity appeared to have been stretched beyond its limit when in some instances truth was evidently manipulated by use of technological advancement in cutting and pasting".

The Office of the Political Ombudsman wants the power to force parties to withdraw candidates,who mount derogatory verbal attacks duringthe campaign.