‘That’s a God damn lie!’ Warmington lashes PNP for ‘misleading’ country

Last week in Parliament the opposition PNP contended that the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) was trying to circumvent the rules regarding the establishment of the municipal boundaries for Portmore and that the ECJ is deliberately being left out of the equation.

But the veteran politician, with half a century experience, rebuffed those claims, arguing that the Joint Select Committee of Parliament can only legislate on the issue with its sole intention being to grant the Portmore Municipal Council full autonomy.

Speaking at the JLP Area Council Two Meeting at Old Harbour on Sunday, Warmington said: “I want to say one thing on this issue is that the PNP has been misleading Jamaica, they’re one bunch of liars and deceivers and they claim that the government is trying to trample on the rights of the electoral commission by cutting boundaries in St Catherine.

“That’s a God damn lie! The committee of Parliament does not have the authority to determine boundaries. The committee’s job is to setup the governance of the Portmore Municipal Corporation (Council) and is to separate Portmore from St Catherine.”

Since 2003, the dormitory community of Portmore was granted municipality status with a view of separating this south eastern landmass from the parish of St Catherine.

“In 2003 when the municipal corporation (council) was established they gave five years in which they were to separate Portmore from St Catherine, they gave them a probation period, a period for them to learn on their own and now it’s 16 years since it has not been done,” explained the St Catherine South West Member of Parliament. “This bill was laid in 2016 and all we are trying to do is to make Portmore independent so they can run their own affairs. They have now come to maturity and they are in a position to run their stuff.”

He also reiterated his stance echoed in Parliament that the ECJ “doesn’t have legislative authority” on the matter, arguing it is the purview of the 63 elected MPs.

“So the electoral commission can’t talk about we must come before them. We didn’t ask them to legislate. The boundary is not before Parliament, so they misleading Jamaica. That’s not what we are doing. We are trying to make the people of Portmore be independent… where Spanish Town cannot dictate to Portmore and Portmore has to ask St Catherine in Spanish Town for authority and permission to do their own things,” he said in his usual strident tone.

“When we amend the Municipality Incorporation Act, then the minister of local government, he is the only one who has the authority to determine the boundary of the municipality. It is not the electoral commission!”