‘Don’t trust Phillips’ - Montague lays into PNP president for ‘bussing scandals’
Published:Monday | November 25, 2019 | 12:00 AM
Spurning the People’s National Party’s (PNP) suggestion that the Government should call a general election, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Robert Montague yesterday launched a broadside against Dr Peter Phillips, painting him as a leader who could not be trusted.
“Some people are in a desperate haste for elections. They are even trying to call it, but is one man call elections, and him won’t call it until the chairman of the party certify that the party is 100 per cent in shape, and we are not there yet,” Montague declared at yesterday’s 76th annual conference of the JLP at the National Arena.
Accusing Phillips of poor judgement, the JLP chairman said that the PNP leader was misled when he sought to “buss scandal” on farm roads to be repaired in St Thomas.
“ ... Somebody ‘tief’ a RADA (Rural Agricultural Development Authority) list that show all the farm roads in St Thomas and the estimate to repair them. Dem take the estimate to repair and say we spend the money already,” said the St Mary Western member of parliament.
According to Montague, if $1.6 billion was spent on the clearing of vegetation, “no bush would be left in St Thomas, not even Portland,” he added, poking fun at the People’s National Party’s claim last week of a “rip-off” of taxpayer funds.
“How can a big man, a big man with PhD, doctor, have such poor judgement?” he questioned.
The JLP chairman castigated Phillips for challenging former PNP President Portia Simpson Miller for leadership even after she gave “him big position”.
“We cannot trust him. Half of his party delegates don’t want him to lead them. If dem nuh trust him, why should we? Dem don’t trust him to run dem party, so we don’t trust him to run Jamaica. Would you trust him with power?” Montague questioned.
Phillips eked out 2.7 per cent more votes than challenger Peter Bunting in a PNP leadership internal poll on September 7.