JAMAICA | Golding Fires Meadows as North Trelawny PNP Caretaker for encouraging "Chopping"

KINGSTON, Jamaica February 29, 2024 - PNP President Mark Golding today fired Dennis Meadows as the party’s caretaker for Northern Trelawny for encouraging the illegal practive of scamming otherwise called "chopping."

This follows inappropriate comments by Meadows on a political platform in which he endorsed the illegal activity of lottery scamming which has been blamed for the  shooting deaths of hundreds of youths across Jamaica.

Dennis Meadows has since withdrawn the comments, following a series of  strong rebukes from a wide array of senior PNP stalwarts as well as the party’s general secretary, Dr. Dayton Campbell, on Wednesday.

But the PNP president has  unceremoniously relieved Meadows from previlege of representing the party in the constituency won by the JLP’s Tova Hamilton in 2020.

In the PNP statement, Mark Golding described Mr. Meadows’ comments as egregious.

In the video that went viral, Meadows said :"And I speak to the youth man dem on the corner, especially the one dem that call themself choppa. I can openly say, I have no problem with a man if him wahh chop. Cause them chop us during slavery, so nothing wrong if we chop them back," Meadows declared. 

The PNP president  said  the comments were unacceptable, as scamming is one of Jamaica‘s most serious national security challenges. He says the candidature, therefore, is untenable.

Mr. Golding said , Jamaica will no longer tolerate weak, unprincipled leaders who say one thing but do another.

Jamaicans deserve better, and Golding says he intends to provide that to them.

The PNP president has also warned all who serve in the PNP that under his leadership, there will be a demand for a higher standard of accountability. 

The PNP says it extends its gratitude to Mr. Meadows for his contributions during his time as the PNP’s provisional candidate and wishes him the best in his future endeavours.

In his apology, Meadown said “Quite frankly, I misspoke and I unreservedly, unequivocally and absolutely withdraw that comment.”

Meadows who was a member of the JLP, he made three unsuccessful efforts to represent Trelawny Northern.

He resigned from the JLP in March 2022 following  a war of words with the CEO of the Firearms Licensing Authority (FLA), Shane Dalling, who named Meadows, the former deputy chairman of the Firearms Licencing Authority, FLA,  as one of several officials who granted gun permits to people with criminal convictions or adverse traces.

The Integrity Commission later ruled that no charges would be laid against Meadows in connection with the issue.

Meadows joined the PNP in October 2022, and launched a contest to become chairman of the North Trelawny constituency and thereafter caretaker candidate.

He nudged out former Central St. James Councillor Suzette Brown who wanted to represent the PNP in that constituency as she has her roots in Falmouth, Trelawny.

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