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Daraine Luton, Senior Staff Reporter
EVERALD WARMINGTON has thrown out a proposed economic enablement programme which North East St Andrew Member of Parliament Delroy Chuck submitted to the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for approval, saying it was illegal.
But Warmington, chair of the CDF's committee of Parliament, did not receive the full support of members, some of whom argued yesterday that he was misguided.
Chuck is proposing to spend $600,000 on a project to provide chickens for some of his constituents to rear. The project documents state that the broiler production programme is to be implemented by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA).
The CDF unit signed off on the project and sent it to the parliamentary committee for approval. However, with the chairman's signature required for the approval of projects, Warmington has virtually shot the project dead.
"I have a very serious problem with it, and I have asked the unit before not to send this to the committee," the committee chairman said. "It is against the law to be raising animals within the town limit."
However, Dr St Aubyn Bartlett, a veterinarian and member of parliament for Eastern St Andrew, said Warmington was wrong.
"It is not pigs, it's not cattle, it is not sheep, it's not goats," Bartlett said. "I am an authority here ... . The act does not include dogs and cats and birds."
However, Warmington reminded the committee that it had turned down similar projects in the past and again insisted that it was illegal to rear animals in towns.
Still wrong
Committee member Andrew Gallimore said Warmington was wrong then and was wrong now.
"You are there quoting law. Do you want to provide the law?" Gallimore said.
He added: "We have a veterinarian here and he is making a distinction that you are overlooking, and definitely, it is not commercial quantities."
Warmington, however, dismissed the argument, saying that, from his experience, each beneficiary would get about 50 chickens, which means it was in commercial quantity. He also took a jab at Bartlett, saying, "You say you have a veterinarian here but what does he do? He services the animals, he does not deal with the law."
Meanwhile, Moveta Munroe, head of the CDF unit, said RADA would not undertake to implement the project if it was illegal. Her intervention was interrupted by Warmington, who pointed to a goat-rearing project the agency implemented in North East St Elizabeth, which has been marred by controversy.
daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner//...ead/lead8.html
EVERALD WARMINGTON has thrown out a proposed economic enablement programme which North East St Andrew Member of Parliament Delroy Chuck submitted to the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for approval, saying it was illegal.
But Warmington, chair of the CDF's committee of Parliament, did not receive the full support of members, some of whom argued yesterday that he was misguided.
Chuck is proposing to spend $600,000 on a project to provide chickens for some of his constituents to rear. The project documents state that the broiler production programme is to be implemented by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA).
The CDF unit signed off on the project and sent it to the parliamentary committee for approval. However, with the chairman's signature required for the approval of projects, Warmington has virtually shot the project dead.
"I have a very serious problem with it, and I have asked the unit before not to send this to the committee," the committee chairman said. "It is against the law to be raising animals within the town limit."
However, Dr St Aubyn Bartlett, a veterinarian and member of parliament for Eastern St Andrew, said Warmington was wrong.
"It is not pigs, it's not cattle, it is not sheep, it's not goats," Bartlett said. "I am an authority here ... . The act does not include dogs and cats and birds."
However, Warmington reminded the committee that it had turned down similar projects in the past and again insisted that it was illegal to rear animals in towns.
Still wrong
Committee member Andrew Gallimore said Warmington was wrong then and was wrong now.
"You are there quoting law. Do you want to provide the law?" Gallimore said.
He added: "We have a veterinarian here and he is making a distinction that you are overlooking, and definitely, it is not commercial quantities."
Warmington, however, dismissed the argument, saying that, from his experience, each beneficiary would get about 50 chickens, which means it was in commercial quantity. He also took a jab at Bartlett, saying, "You say you have a veterinarian here but what does he do? He services the animals, he does not deal with the law."
Meanwhile, Moveta Munroe, head of the CDF unit, said RADA would not undertake to implement the project if it was illegal. Her intervention was interrupted by Warmington, who pointed to a goat-rearing project the agency implemented in North East St Elizabeth, which has been marred by controversy.
daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner//...ead/lead8.html
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