PNP vows to defend spokespersons against defamation lawsuits

 

As the island's two main political parties ramped up their campaigning on the weekend, the parliamentary opposition has asserted that it will be defending its shadow ministers against the lawsuits filed against them.

 

Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Deputy Leader Desmond MckKenzie has filed a lawsuit against Senator Damion Crawford after accusing the senator of defaming him at a PNP public meeting on March 2 this year.

 

Dr. Alfred Dawes is being jointly sued also for defamation by Member of Parliament for Kingston Central, Donovan Williams, and medical equipment supply company, Medical Technologies Limited (MediTech), over allegations he has made about the price tag for a surgical drill purchased for Bustamante Hospital for Children. 

 

But speaking at a party meeting in Portmore, St. Catherine on the weekend, PNP President Mark Golding declared that his shadow ministers will not be muzzled by the threat of legal action in their quest to highlight corruption and nepotism in the government. 

 

Mr. Golding said the party will defend Dr. Dawes in court.

 

"I am proud of him because when he uncovered a drill scandal, and they've tried to muzzle him, two lawsuits against him, he hasn't given up the fight. He has tonight provided more information showing how much shenanigans is going on in the way this thing is being run and how deep this goes in the system of procurement in Jamaica. And Comrades, it is a wickedness when a drill that should cost $3-4 million is paid for a price of $31.5 million by the government to fatten those who are already fat," he alleged. 

 

"When you have hospitals with no CAT scan, when you can't get certain basic medical materials if you're sick, if you need certain diagnostic tests, the equipment is not there or it's in repair, so you have to go to a private source and pay a whole heep a money weh you don't have. The public health system is being undermined by corruption," the PNP president further contended.

 

He was addressing PNP supporters at the reopening of the constituency office in St. Catherine South Eastern following a fire in June 2023.

 

Dr. Alfred Dawes, who also spoke at the meeting, argued that the details and the claim filed in the Supreme Court by MediTech regarding the importation of the surgical drill raise more questions. 

 

He wants the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) and the Auditor General to investigate the information outlined in the court filings.