PNP admits to nepotism in light bulb affair

[Karl]

PNP admits to nepotism in light bulb affair
BY ERICA VIRTUE Observer writer
Monday, March 31, 2008


Port Antonio, Portland - People's National Party (PNP) president Portia Simpson Miller yesterday admitted for the first time publicly that "nepotism" was involved in the handling of the Cuban light bulb programme, instituted under its watch as government.

"We cannot deny the fact that there was nepotism. And I cannot support anything that will dishonour the integrity of the party.," Simpson Miller, now Opposition Leader, told a meeting of the party's National Executive Council (NEC), at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education, in Portland.

Former junior minister for energy, Kern Spencer, along with his former personal assistant, Coleen Wright and businessman Rodney Chin, is facing corruption and money laundering charges in connection with the Cuban light bulb project that is said to have cost taxpayers some $276 million.

Simpson Miller in addressing the issue, chose her words carefully, mindful of the rules of sub judice as the matter is now in the courts. Referring to the issue as the "Kern affair", she said: ".We are also mindful that the matter is in court, and we cannot find him innocent or guilty. The courts will decide that."

Spencer was absent from the meeting but his former boss, Phillip Paulwell attended, although he headed directly for his vehicle parked nearby, the moment the meeting ended, apparently not wanting to be bothered by newsmen.

Speaking to the Observer after the meeting, the PNP president said the matter involving Spencer was still being investigated by the party's disciplinary committee, and as such due process had to be exercised.

Asked if the acknowledgement of nepotism provided a basis for disciplinary action against the North East St Elizabeth MP, she said the investigation was current and the party was still awaiting the prosecution's case.

Both the party leader and general secretary, Peter Bunting, acknowledged that the matter had put the party under public scrutiny. Bunting admitted in his report to the NEC that the issue was one which had caused public embarrassment.

Said Simpson Miller: "Let me say that the party will await the prosecution's case and I am sure the disciplinary committee will evaluate the charges and we will do the right thing."
- With additional reporting by Everard Owen

[Karl]

Refreshing candor? ...or...reluctant admission?

[Lazie]

Refreshing candor? ...or...reluctant admission?

more like... back against the wall. Its public knowledge that the PNP is linked with corruption. What else Portia gonna duh? The "I never take no money from Trafigura" is only believed by ppl like you and Jawge.

[OJ]

thats like monica Lewisky saying she spill some? LOL

[Mosiah]

I wanted to see what Monica has been up to lately. Well, turns out she graduated from the same school many of our politicians went to. I believe Michael Manley and PJ, among many others, went to the London School of Economics. So did our Monica Lewinsky! Good for her!

Lewinsky graduates from U.K. business school

Former White House intern earns Masters degree in Social Psychology

Peter Kramer / Getty Images file
Monica Lewinsky has earned a Masters of Science degree from the London School of Economics. Her thesis was entitled “In Search of the Impartial Juror: An exploration of the third person effect and pre-trial publicity.”


NEW YORK - Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, whose sexual relationship with President Clinton led to his impeachment, has graduated from the London School of Economics, her publicist said Wednesday.
Lewinsky, who was 21 when she became involved with Clinton, is interviewing for jobs in Britain, publicist Barbara Hutson said.
When Lewinsky, 32, received her Masters of Science degree in Social Psychology last Thursday “the audience of students and parents erupted in spontaneous applause. ... It was a very emotional moment for her,” Hutson said in a statement.

Hutson said Lewinsky spent the past year studying and “staying away from the London social scene.”
She completed a thesis entitled “In Search of the Impartial Juror: An exploration of the third person effect and pre-trial publicity.”

[Lazie]

Blow Wow!!! Thats what her thesis was about?

[Mosiah]

Get a few laffs with this:

From Thong to Thesis: Monica Lewinsky Flashes Her Intellect




By Libby Copeland
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 24, 2006; Page D01

There are moments that make you question your fundamental assumptions about the world. One of them took place a few days ago, when news emerged that Monica Lewinsky had just graduated from the London School of Economics.
She did not!!

More than just an infamous face. (By Peter Kramer -- Getty Images)


Lewinsky, 33, is known more for her audacious coquetry than for her intellectual heft, and the notion of her earning a master of science degree in social psychology at the prestigious London university is jarring, akin to finding a rip in the time-space continuum, or discovering that Kim Jong Il is a natural blond.
Even more staggering, the same bubbly gal who once described the act of flashing her thong at the president as a "small, subtle, flirtatious gesture" has now written a lofty-sounding thesis. Its title, according to Reuters: "In Search of the Impartial Juror: An Exploration of the Third Person Effect and Pre-Trial Publicity."
Monica! We hardly knew ye!
A revelation on this order suggests Lewinsky belongs to a fascinating subspecies, dumb-but-smart. Dumb-but-smart folks defy our low expectations. They appear dull or ditzy but possess unpredictable pockets of intelligence.
For example, dumb-but-smart: Ashton Kutcher! Majored in biochemical engineering in college. (Huh?) And: Jessica Simpson, who famously didn't know the difference between tuna and chicken, and posited that buffalo wings are made from buffalo. Simpson's mother once told Vanity Fair that her daughter has "this, like, 160 IQ And, you know, that's, like, a genius level."
Like, no way.
We all know a dumb-but-smart person -- the airheaded clotheshorse who holds an Ivy league PhD; the mulleted townie who grows up to be a Wall Street tycoon. These people are smart in spite of themselves. At high school reunions, the pleasure of looking better than a former flame is completely undone by the mysterious success of the dumb-but-smarts, who seem too stupid even to appreciate their own unlikely journeys.
The dumb-but-smart type is especially common for women in the celebrity realm, where stupidity has historically been as much of an asset for women as double D's. Often it's a put-on -- smart comedians like Lucille Ball and Goldie Hawn have played up their ditsiness for humorous effect. As for men, figures like Flavor Flav, Steven Seagal and Ted Nugent come across as a few sandwiches short of a picnic; they qualify as dumb-but-smart only because we imagine they must possess some business acumen to have gotten as far as they have.
(The celebrity world is so diverse and accepting it also makes room for the just-plain-dumb. We are thinking now of Kevin Federline and Anna Nicole Smith. But that's a whole 'nother picnic.)
The dumb-but-smart type exists in politics, too. Some people might argue that our current president falls into the category of dumb-but-smart. We're going to gently sidestep that argument.
But Dan "potatoe" Quayle is a good example. It is easy to remember his dumb moments, but it's its also worth recalling that Quayle earned a law degree and was the youngest-ever senator from Indiana when he was elected. These are accomplishments that require -- at the very least -- emotional intelligence and some intellectual capacity, if not the genius of, say, Jessica Simpson.
President Clinton, meanwhile, seems more like a smart guy who does stupid things than a stupid guy who does smart things. We'll call this category smart-but-dumb. American history is replete with examples of people like him, bright people prone to idiotic behavior. The invasion of the Bay of Pigs is an example of what happens when smart people make dumb decisions. Also, "Ishtar."
As for Lewinsky, perhaps we should not be surprised by her spanking new degree. After all, she made a name for herself by accomplishing the unexpected. Back in the day, when she skyrocketed to notoriety as a young intern who'd had an affair with the president, people's reactions were the same as they are now.
She did not!!

[Willi]

LSE is not a business school. LBS is.

[Time]

Inappropriate - Portia! The matter in before the courts!!!!

This is contempt of court!

PNP admits to nepotism in light bulb affair
BY ERICA VIRTUE Observer writer
Monday, March 31, 2008


Port Antonio, Portland - People's National Party (PNP) president Portia Simpson Miller yesterday admitted for the first time publicly that "nepotism" was involved in the handling of the Cuban light bulb programme, instituted under its watch as government.

"We cannot deny the fact that there was nepotism. And I cannot support anything that will dishonour the integrity of the party.," Simpson Miller, now Opposition Leader, told a meeting of the party's National Executive Council (NEC), at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education, in Portland.

Former junior minister for energy, Kern Spencer, along with his former personal assistant, Coleen Wright and businessman Rodney Chin, is facing corruption and money laundering charges in connection with the Cuban light bulb project that is said to have cost taxpayers some $276 million.

Simpson Miller in addressing the issue, chose her words carefully, mindful of the rules of sub judice as the matter is now in the courts. Referring to the issue as the "Kern affair", she said: ".We are also mindful that the matter is in court, and we cannot find him innocent or guilty. The courts will decide that."

Spencer was absent from the meeting but his former boss, Phillip Paulwell attended, although he headed directly for his vehicle parked nearby, the moment the meeting ended, apparently not wanting to be bothered by newsmen.

Speaking to the Observer after the meeting, the PNP president said the matter involving Spencer was still being investigated by the party's disciplinary committee, and as such due process had to be exercised.

Asked if the acknowledgement of nepotism provided a basis for disciplinary action against the North East St Elizabeth MP, she said the investigation was current and the party was still awaiting the prosecution's case.

Both the party leader and general secretary, Peter Bunting, acknowledged that the matter had put the party under public scrutiny. Bunting admitted in his report to the NEC that the issue was one which had caused public embarrassment.

Said Simpson Miller: "Let me say that the party will await the prosecution's case and I am sure the disciplinary committee will evaluate the charges and we will do the right thing."
- With additional reporting by Everard Owen

[OJ]

good for her.

[Willi]

Refreshing candor? ...or...reluctant admission?

The matter is sub-judice...she should keep quiet until the courst have finished.
Who advising her?

[Lazie]

The matter is sub-judice...she should keep quiet until the courst have finished.
Who advising her?

The question is if those advising her know any better.

[Mosiah]

Americans know anyting?!?

[Gamma]

dem a offer up kern as sacrfice now?