State Minister St. Aubyn Bartlett resigns

State Minister in the ministry of national security, Dr. St. Aubyn Bartlett has resigned.



Minister with responsibility for information, Senator Arthur Williams says Dr. Bartlett handed in his resignation last evening.



Senator Williams has not stated the reason given for the resignation.



However, JLP insiders say Dr. Bartlett who is the incumbent Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) MP for St. Andrew Eastern, was to be replaced as the party’s candidate in the next general election.



Bartlett was expected to run on the party’s ticket for a third consecutive term.



However, the Gleaner/Power 106 news Centre understands that senior party members decided on Monday night to replace him after examining their own poll results.



It’s understood that the poll findings revealed that the vast majority of the constituents of St Andrew Eastern were turned off by Bartlett’s representation.



One senior member described Bartlett’s performance as MP as dismal, while another said the situation was untenable.



When contacted, senior party members were tight-lipped but indicated that they were working to find a replacement to prevent further dislocation in the constituency.



Bartlett’s candidacy was also questioned in the lead-up to the 2007 general election, but he prevailed and went on to defeat the People’s National Party’s Professor Trevor Munroe.



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