Chen

BUSINESSMAN Wayne Chen has confirmed that he has been asked by Prime Minister Bruce Golding to chair the board of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC).

"I have been approached and I have expressed a willingness to serve," Chen told The Gleaner yesterday.

Government may formally announce the decision to install Chen Wednesday at the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing.

Louis Williams and his board were asked by Golding last week to immediately submit their resignations. The prime minister has been silent on the reasons behind his decision, but Gleaner sources said the move came after 10 members of the board informed Golding they had lost confidence in Williams' ability.

Yesterday, Chen, who chairs the advisory boards at the National Land Agency and the Land Administration and Management Programme, said he was looking forward to his new role.

"I see it as an opportunity to contribute to the development of Jamaica," Chen said.

Chen is the proprietor of the Super Plus chain of food stores. He is a long-time associate of Golding, whom he had helped to form the National Democratic Movement.

He was a losing candidate for the party in the 1997 general election when he opposed the Jamaica Labour Party's Audley Shaw in North East Manchester.