JLP Secretariat under fire

The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Secretariat is being accused of engaging in corrupt practices in two recent elections to select party representatives for the next general elections.

Chairman of the JLP’s Area Two, Everald Warmington has written to the party’s general secretary, Dr Horace Chang, telling him that he will not participate in any further Selection Committee Meetings or other meetings because of these alleged corrupt practices.

In the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Gleaner/Power 106 News Centre, Warmington said he did not feel comfortable associating himself with the current corrupt actions of the JLP secretariat.

According to him in recent times there has not been an honest selection or a selection without controversy in any Constituency.

He accused the party’s officers of favouring the eventual winner in the North East St Catherine contest, Leslie Campbell, over rival Sharon Hay Webster.

In the letter written just days before last weekend’s vote,  Warmington further claimed Campbell had been given the delegates list and told the date for the selection long before Hay Webster.

He is questioning how the JLP can expect the country to trust it to govern when it inflicts such injustice on party members.

Meanwhile, defeated caretaker candidate, Dr Christopher Tufton has also written to Dr Chang complaining of the alleged padding of the voters’ list used in the selection in West Central St Catherine.

Tufton said he had brought the concern to the attention of the secretariat before last weekend’s vote, yet the selection went on with the controversial list.

He said the unusually high voter turnout in the Point Hill Division, where most voted for his rival Devon Wint, is proof that his suspicions were true.

According to him, many of these delegates were belatedly added to the list and were not true delegates.

He has requested a meeting with Chang to discuss the issues.