JAMAICA | Cabinet Minister Everald Warmington resigns under pressure

KINGSTON,  Jamaica, February 29, 2024 - Member of Parliament for St. Catherine South Western and Minister with responsibility for Works, Everard Warmington, has resigned from the Cabinet.

In a statement, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said he met with Mr. Warmington, and at the end of the meeting, he received his resignation. 

The news comes after controversial comments made by the Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation. 

Mr. Warmington, addressing supporters in his constituency after it became clear that his candidate from the Jamaica Labour Party had lost the local government election for a seat in the St. Catherine Municipal Corporation, expressed disappointment with the results and then declared: "I'm the Minister of Works and the Member of Parliament. No PNP councillor is going to spend my money."

He eventually apologised for the statement on Wednesday evening, but commentators and civil society groups continued to express outrage, adding that an apology was not enough. 

The Prime Minister, in his statement, said he thanked Mr. Warmington for his service as minister, while the MP "expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve".

In his apology yesterday, Mr. Warmington said: “As the Minister without Portfolio in Member of Parliament for South West St. Catherine, I acknowledge the public’s concerns regarding my recent comments about resource allocation.

“I realize that my statements on funding for Members of Parliament and Councillors have been misunderstood in public discourse. It was never my intention to imply that a duly elected Councillor should be denied rightful funding for their municipal division.

"I want to clarify: my remarks were focused on the established practice that MPs direct funds for Constituencies, while Councillors direct funds from the Municipal Council. These are distinct and separate channels.

“Regarding the use of the term ‘my money’, I want to make it clear that I do not consider state funds allocated to constituencies as personal assets. These funds, allocated by the Central Government and directed in part by MPs, belong to the Jamaican taxpayers. My reference to ‘my money’ was intended to describe these allocations that I, in my role as MP, help oversee. It should also be noted that as MP I do spend my personal resources on constituency matters.

“To the extent that my comments, which were made in the heat of the moment and perhaps could have been more clearly stated, have been misinterpreted as endorsing victimization, I unequivocally reject any such sentiment.

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