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The Opposition People's National Party says it is disappointed in how the governing Jamaica Labour Party has handled issues surrounding the allegations against member of parliament for Westmoreland Central, George Wright.
A statement from the JLP said following meetings on Thursday, Mr. Wright will withdraw from the Government Parliamentary caucus and become an independent member of the House of Representatives.
It also said Mr. Wright had not shared any information regarding the video in which a man is seen physically abusing a woman, but he acknowledged that the allegations made against him were of a serious nature and were causing grave concerns for his role as a parliamentary representative.
But Senator Donna Scott Mottley, Opposition Spokesperson on Justice and Gender Affairs, said the party had the power to send a stronger signal because "we know know that when a leader says this is what must be done, invariably that is enacted."
The Jamaica Labour Party has said it is encouraging Mr. Wright to seek a leave of absence.
JLP General Secretary Dr. Horace Chang said the requisite organs of the party would meet promptly to discuss the matter of Mr. Wright's membership and determine the next steps.
Senator Scott Mottley, however, said the JLP's response is convoluted, meaningless and contradictory.
"If they say they have to go through internal processes to determine his fate as a member of the Jamaica Labour Party, how then can they determine that he cannot be party of the parliamentary caucus? If what they are saying is really what they mean, he would have had to go through that due process before being asked to remove himself from the parliamentary caucus," she insisted.
The Opposition has been calling for Mr. Wright's resignation as an MP and had attempted to have him suspended from the House of Representatives.
More backlash
Attorney Clyde Williams has said he rejects the JLP's pronouncement that Mr. Wright will now be an independent MP.
"It is a game of smoke and mirrors.... He ran on a JLP form, he was nominated by the JLP organisation, he won on that platform, he sat with the JLP side right through, and he, most importantly, remains a member of the Jamaica Labour Party," he said, arguing that the only way Mr. Wright could become an independent candidate is if the JLP expels him from the party.
Mr. Williams said it is bizarre that an internal disciplinary hearing was not held by the JLP regarding his membership to determine "whether (Mr. Wright's behaviour) amounts to a level where he's to be expelled or suspended."
The attorney said the issue of Mr. Wright continuing to sit in the House of Representatives is now up to the Speaker of the House, Marisa Dalrymple Philibert.
Better support for women
Damion Gordon, Assistant Lecturer of Public Policy at the University of the West Indies, has said there is a need for better support systems for women in abusive relationships.
He contended that in many instances, women who are victims of abuse are often pressured to remain silent or "forced to withdraw."
Mr. Gordon noted that this is especially common in relationships where the man wields greater power than his female counterpart.
He added that serious mindset change is needed within the population as there are people, including women, who believe "if the woman initiated the confrontation then the man was justified."
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