RULING People’s National Party parliamentarian, Ronnie Thwaites, last night volunteered that he was the subject of a damning article by Observer columnist Mark Wignall, claiming what amounts to a pattern of theft and corruption by a government MP, but rejected the allegations.

At the same time, Thwaites, in a radio interview, said that he would consider his future in representational politics but conceded that whether he stays or goes would not be entirely his decision.

It would depend substantially on the decision of the leadership of the PNP, including Prime Minister P J Patterson, Thwaites told hosts of evening current affairs programme, Nationwide.

Asked whether he would “allow it to come to that” in the face of Wignall’s suggestion that he be dumped by his party, Thwaites said: “That is not my decision. My responsibility is to speak the truth as I have always wanted to with issues concerned with me.

“As far as my political activity is concerned, none of this … has anything to do with my work as member of parliament. It is for my party, my constituents and myself to keep all possible courses of action under advisement.”

Earlier, however, he had made it clear that giving up representational politics was definitely an issue he would consider, although he had not “come to any such conclusion as yet”.

But said Thwaites: “Any person who faces an issue of trust must consider all options. I have to consult with a number of people. Anyone, in any position, where there are allegations and where there is controversy must consider all their positions. That (stepping aside) has to be one of them.”

Wignall, who writes twice weekly in the Observer, set off political alarm bells yesterday, when he warned in his column that the PNP, which is seeking a fourth consecutive term in office, would be “rocked by a scandal so embarrassing” that it could be disastrous for its chances in the election to be held by yearend.

Wignall did not call names but related a series of apparently dubious transactions by his subject, the latest of which he claimed was the “making off with $5 million that belonged to a government agency with executive powers”.

Observer editors yesterday fielded several telephone calls from people asking who was the subject of the Wignall column.

But surprisingly last night, Thwaites, a Roman Catholic deacon and PNP representative of the constituency of Central Kingston, appeared on the Nationwide programme to talk about the content of the article as well as other issues relating to his business dealings. Thwaites who hosts a morning talk show on Power 106 said he knew that he was the subject of the piece and spoke of his knowledge of the issues raised.

On the issue of “making off with $5 million”, Thwaites, explained that about two years ago he was asked, in his capacity as a

lawyer, by the Post Office, to collect a series of debts that were outstanding to it from various sources. The Post Office was then headed by now retired Post Master General, Sam Stewart.

Thwaites said that the money he collected was passed over to the Post Office but said that one cheque for $5 million was lodged to the client account of his law firm, but was not paid over to the client with the “promptness it should have been done”.

“I acknowledged this to the officers of the Post Office,” he said.

The delay, he said, was between three and four weeks. Thwaites suggested that he was unaware of the initial delay.

When asked about a rumour that he had taken the cheque from the desk of his son, Daniel Thwaites — who was at the time being appointed chairman of the newly-established Postal Corporation of Jamaica — and had fraudulently converted it, Thwaites rejected the allegation.

“I deny that,” he said. “I do not think I deserve that.”

While taking full responsibility for the delay in the payment to the Post Office, Thwaites insisted that the payment was made promptly after the matter was brought to his attention

“I … hold no money and have taken away no money from any agency, any government, any individual,” he said.

Thwaites also confirmed that he had been allowed to use a property owned by the Roman Catholic Church — on which he had previously handled the conveyance — to be used as collateral for a private loan.

Thwaites said he had sought, and received, permission from then Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kingston, Samuel Carter.

Rejecting that he had conducted an illegality, Thwaites said of the accord: “It was not immoral. It was improper.”

The PNP parliamentarian has denied that he was a key player in Ben Munroe’s Low Income Family Foundation (LIFF) in which hundreds of people lost millions of dollars in what should be a co-operative housing development programme.

Thwaites, who had built a reputation in the 1970s and 1980s as a social activist, said that he had initially supported the idea and had gone to its public meetings, but withdrew when he found it that it had “other irons in the fire”.

He had acted on behalf of LIFF and was never paid by it, he said.

In 1996 a coffee growing company in which Thwaites was a partner was ruled to be insolvent and was placed in receivership by the Agricultural Credit Bank and a Danish development agency that had loaned it money.

He admitted yesterday that “I have financial difficulties”.

“I have never made a secret of these,” Thwaites said. “I have made every effort to work my way through these difficulties. I think that I am getting there.”

Added Thwaites: “But like many, many others who went into business, expanded and were effected by many errors and many external circumstances, I have difficulties. And I have made that absolutely clear to all concerned — my constituents, my party and, indeed. It has been a matter of public record since 1996.”