Warmington says sorry
Works minister Everald Warmington has pushed by at calls for his resignation, insisting that a controversial comment he made about the allocation of funds for roadworks are misinterpreted.
Warmington, who is the Member of Parliament for South West St Catherine, has come under fire for the comments in which he seemed to suggest he would withhold public funds from the PNP’s councillor-elect in the Old Harbour South Division, Dr Kurt Waul.
However, in a statement last night, Warmington said his statement has “been misinterpreted as endorsing victimisation and I unequivocally reject any such sentiment”.
Waul, who secured victory over Lloyd Grant in the Old Harbour South division by a margin of approximately 371 votes, expressed concern over the implications of Warmington’s statements.
Warmington, addressing a group of Labourites, said, “I am minister of work, a member of parliament. Nuh PNP councillor [going to] spend my money!”
Last night, amid calls for him to be fired from the Cabinet, Warmington said it was never his intention to imply that a duly elected councillor should be denied rightful funding for their municipal division.
“My reference to ‘my money’ was intended to describe these allocations that I, in my role as MP, help oversee. It should also be noted that as MP I do spend my personal resources on constituency matters,” Warmington explained.
In the meantime, the Jamaica Labour Party has distanced itself from Warmington’s comments
“The party condemns these statements and distances itself from the suggestion of political victimisation within constituencies,” Dr Horace Chang said in a statement yesterday.
He said that the JLP espouse the principles of equal rights and justice, and any suggestion that the democratically elected councillor will be victimised must be rebuffed.
“Warmington’s comments are reprehensible and does not represent the views of the Jamaica Labour Party or its leadership,” Chang said.