PUP Leader on “Body Shaming” Comments

At a PUP campaign event in Independence Village, Kaya Cattouse, the PUP candidate for Albert, took a direct jab at her opponent, Tracy Panton of the UDP. Cattouse said that Panton’s time in office was over and went on to say that her opponent “can’t keep up” with her, both physically and on the campaign trail. She said, ““Because mek we be real, she can’t keep up with me—nuh pan the bike, worse on the campaign trail—and nuh mek we talk bout we ina the mirror.”

Panton responded via social media, accusing Cattouse of body shaming and labelling the remarks as “poor, poor taste.”

News Five asked Leader of the People’s United Party (PUP) about Cattouse’s comments. He said, “Kaya can defend herself, and Kaya can clarify whatever it is that she said. But I can tell you here that our party, um, has been a very strong supporter of women.”

He added, “As a government, we have been the government that appointed the most women in the history of any government. And so we continue to support women.”

“Politics is a contact sport, you know, and sometimes you kind of speak out of turn, but I don’t think that whatever, Kaya said. I don’t think she said it maliciously.”