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Mr Warmington we expected, but Mr Chuck???
Mr Warmington we expected, but Mr Chuck???
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Mr Delroy Chuck seems like a decent man. So when he got the job as Speaker of the House of Representatives we thought it was a proper choice. Until he spoke on radio yesterday.
Mr Chuck went on Nationwide Radio's This Morning show and spoke the most arrant nonsense in defence of Mr Everald Warmington, who set back this country 100 years, having clearly lost his reason in front of a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) crowd Sunday night in Old Harbour, St Catherine.
It came as no surprise to us that Mr Warmington, the current minister of state for water and housing, is reported as warning supporters that they would not receive hurricane relief cheques if they did not vote for his party in today's local government elections.
As quoted in our Tuesday edition, the member of parliament told the JLP supporters that he had advised Labour and Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles that hurricane relief cheques for Old Harbour Bay residents, whose homes had been damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Dean this year, should be issued from his South West St Catherine constituency office, ostensibly so he could be sure that cheque recipients had actually voted JLP.
"Dem talk 'bout Ivan Money, it coming up now. Three thousand a you from Old Harbour Bay expect fe get. You know what a tell de minister sey. I told Minister Charles. Don't send one striking cheque down ya till after Wednesday (election day)," Mr Warmington said. "Don't send none... After Wednesday, what is yours is yours and what is mine is mine. Mek sure de vote is mine."
It got worse: "People sey dem put Warmington dey already, but it nuh done yet. The first thing I am going to do after Wednesday is go on my computer an look if yuh vote fe get de cheque. A tell de minister sey mek sure sey when him a issue cheque him issue them from 40 East Street, Old Harbour for yuh should not want Government benefit if yuh don't perform or participate in governance."
That's typical of the Everald Warmington we have heard of over the years. But if we expected that from him, we surely are dumbfounded by Mr Chuck's defence of him.
Mr Chuck told the radio hosts that Mr Warmington was just indulging in "political exuberance". If it reminds you, dear reader, of the term 'youthful exuberance", it should.
The House Speaker tried to explain away the inexplicable by saying that his JLP colleague was merely pushing people to "participate in our democracy by voting". Really! Somebody should let Mr Chuck and his friend know that democracy includes the right not to vote, whether we like it or not.
But who gave Mr Warmington the right to decide to spend taxpayers' money in that way? In the first place, why does he have a say in how disaster relief funds are disbursed? These two are not men we can hold up before our young people and our nation as examples to follow. And frankly, we are quite ashamed of their utterances.
Thankfully, Mr Charles is not about to be caught up in their recklessness: "He is just saying that for (the) consumption of his constituency. What he said does not in any way reflect the policy of this Government."
Whew!
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Mr Delroy Chuck seems like a decent man. So when he got the job as Speaker of the House of Representatives we thought it was a proper choice. Until he spoke on radio yesterday.
Mr Chuck went on Nationwide Radio's This Morning show and spoke the most arrant nonsense in defence of Mr Everald Warmington, who set back this country 100 years, having clearly lost his reason in front of a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) crowd Sunday night in Old Harbour, St Catherine.
It came as no surprise to us that Mr Warmington, the current minister of state for water and housing, is reported as warning supporters that they would not receive hurricane relief cheques if they did not vote for his party in today's local government elections.
As quoted in our Tuesday edition, the member of parliament told the JLP supporters that he had advised Labour and Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles that hurricane relief cheques for Old Harbour Bay residents, whose homes had been damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Dean this year, should be issued from his South West St Catherine constituency office, ostensibly so he could be sure that cheque recipients had actually voted JLP.
"Dem talk 'bout Ivan Money, it coming up now. Three thousand a you from Old Harbour Bay expect fe get. You know what a tell de minister sey. I told Minister Charles. Don't send one striking cheque down ya till after Wednesday (election day)," Mr Warmington said. "Don't send none... After Wednesday, what is yours is yours and what is mine is mine. Mek sure de vote is mine."
It got worse: "People sey dem put Warmington dey already, but it nuh done yet. The first thing I am going to do after Wednesday is go on my computer an look if yuh vote fe get de cheque. A tell de minister sey mek sure sey when him a issue cheque him issue them from 40 East Street, Old Harbour for yuh should not want Government benefit if yuh don't perform or participate in governance."
That's typical of the Everald Warmington we have heard of over the years. But if we expected that from him, we surely are dumbfounded by Mr Chuck's defence of him.
Mr Chuck told the radio hosts that Mr Warmington was just indulging in "political exuberance". If it reminds you, dear reader, of the term 'youthful exuberance", it should.
The House Speaker tried to explain away the inexplicable by saying that his JLP colleague was merely pushing people to "participate in our democracy by voting". Really! Somebody should let Mr Chuck and his friend know that democracy includes the right not to vote, whether we like it or not.
But who gave Mr Warmington the right to decide to spend taxpayers' money in that way? In the first place, why does he have a say in how disaster relief funds are disbursed? These two are not men we can hold up before our young people and our nation as examples to follow. And frankly, we are quite ashamed of their utterances.
Thankfully, Mr Charles is not about to be caught up in their recklessness: "He is just saying that for (the) consumption of his constituency. What he said does not in any way reflect the policy of this Government."
Whew!
yuh joking right?
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