FALMOUTH, Trelawny - Approximately 30 People's National Party (PNP) supporters yesterday converged at the constituency offices of North Trelawny Member of Parliament, Dr Patrick Harris, calling for his resignation.
The demonstration was apparently triggered by last Saturday's internal elections in which Portia Simpson Miller defeated Dr Peter Phillips' challenge to her presidency. Dr Harris was a supporter of Dr Phillips.
"Dr Harris has done his time, he needs to go and make way for someone else," one party supporter said.
Harris, a former government back-bencher, was last September named the deputy Opposition spokesman on housing, infrastructure and transport, following the PNP's defeat in the general election.
Since making his support for Phillips' candidacy public, he has come under fire from many PNP supporters in the constituency who were backing Simpson Miller.
Yesterday, he told the Observer that he was not present at the constituency office during the demonstration, as he was on his way to Parliament.
He said, however, that he was not perturbed by the protest.
"I have no problem with the demonstration, as long as it is being done in an orderly way, and I understand that was how it was done," he told the Observer.
"We are living in a democratic country; we have fought for the right to express ourselves freely so people should be allowed to express themselves freely," he explained.
He promised, however, to address the matter but declined to elaborate.
"Give it another day or two and I will address the issue. I will address that one in a fulsome way," he stressed.
Harris has been Member of Parliament for North Trelawny since 2002.
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