Dispute over state officials running for JLP - PNP claims TPDCo supporting Tova Hamilton in Trelawny Northern
Published:Wednesday | March 11, 2020 | 12:13 AMRomario Scott/Gleaner Writer
As the political temperature continues to rise as a general election draws nearer, the People’s National Party (PNP) has taken issue with at least two Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) constituency standard-bearers who now work in the civil service.
The PNP complained to Donna Parchment Brown, the political ombudsman, about Tova Hamilton, who currently serves as deputy executive director of the Tourism Product Development Company and JLP caretaker for Trelawny Northern, and Rhoda Cawford, who was recently announced as the likely challenger to Peter Bunting’s reign in Manchester Central.
She works at the HEART/NSTA Trust.
The PNP says Hamilton’s case is the most serious because “of the large resources under the disposal of the TPDCo”.
It claimed it has specific evidence that resources from TPDCo were being used to support Hamilton’s campaign against Victor Wright, who narrowly won the constituency in the February 2016 general election for the PNP.
No evidence was, however, provided to The Gleaner.
Hamilton could not be reached yesterday by phone to answer to the allegations.
The PNP argues that it is a breach of civil-service rules for persons employed by the State to openly engage in political activities.
When the issue was put JLP General Secretary Dr Horace Chang on Sunday, he disagreed that any civil-service rules were being broken.
“They are required to resign when an election is called in terms of where they are. Government is by far the largest employer of professionals in our country. You cannot alienate those people from participating.
“When you are part of the civil service, you are to get the permission of your permanent secretary, and you resign during the election period,” Chang said, adding that he was a medical officer in Hanover before resigning the year of the 1980 election to contest a seat there.
Chang alleged that the PNP has also had government employees running on its ticket who had followed the same convention.
Before joining TPDCo, Hamilton served as the legal director at the National Solid Waste Management Authority.
In recent times, she has been seen campaigning in Trelawny Northern with the backing of Chang, including having a workers’ meeting geared at ousting Wright when an election is called.
Wright himself asked questions of Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett yesterday in Parliament seeking answers pertaining to his new political rival.
The Trelawny North MP also sought answers on whether the Tourism Enhancement Fund or TPDCo sponsored beautification projects in the constituency within the last two financial years.