Jamaica: Youth wing calls for minister's resignation after integrity report

The youth affiliate of Jamaica's People's National Party (PNP), known as the PNP Patriots, has joined the chorus demanding the immediate resignation of Minister Dr. Andrew Wheatley from the Cabinet. This call comes in the wake of a recent Integrity Commission (IC) report tabled in Parliament, which recommends that Wheatley face charges for illicit enrichment.

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Dr Andrew Wheatley must not remain in the Cabinet of Jamaica while an Integrity Commission report before Parliament exposes grave concerns regarding unexplained assets, statutory declarations and non-compliance with lawful information requests.

The Integrity Commission's investigation concluded that the Member of Parliament for St. Catherine South Central possessed assets valued at approximately $164 million, which could not be satisfactorily explained in relation to his lawful earnings. Dr. Wheatley has vehemently denied these findings, characterizing the report as false and misleading and asserting that investigators disregarded crucial evidence.

PNP Patriots President Paul Blake stated that Wheatley should not continue serving in the Cabinet while the report is under parliamentary review. Blake emphasized that public office is a trust, demanding leaders with unwavering integrity and loyalty solely to the Jamaican people, where accountability is paramount.

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Public office is a duty, not a private privilege. Jamaica demands leaders who act with unwavering integrity, whose loyalty is solely to the Jamaican people, and who recognise that accountability is a non-negotiable obligation.

The group extended its criticism to Prime Minister Andrew Holness, questioning his commitment to good governance. Blake argued that the Prime Minister must be accountable for the political culture within the Jamaica Labour Party and that allowing ministers under serious integrity investigations to retain their positions implies complicity. The PNP Patriots urged Holness to remove Wheatley if he does not resign voluntarily, warning that anything less signals a disregard for justice and promotes cronyism.

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The prime minister must be accountable for the political culture he perpetuates within the Jamaica Labour Party. Repeated questions about integrity involving his government members cannot be dismissed by silence or delay without implicating him in complicity.