THE return of former People’s National Party (PNP) president and prime minister P J Patterson to assist the ruling party in its campaign for the next general election has drawn criticisms from Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) deputy leader Audley Shaw.

Addressing JLP supporters at the North West St Ann constituency conference in the Brown’s Town Community Centre on Sunday, Shaw said now that Patterson was back in public life the former PM should report to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on what transpired in the Sandals Whitehouse “scandal”.

According to Shaw, the Sandals Whitehouse project was managed by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), which reported to the Office of the Prime Minister, and ‘at that time’ PJ was in the chair. “Mr Patterson, you have plenty questions to answer about Sandals Whitehouse.

“The PAC will be looking at Whitehouse, we are not going to stop until we get to the bottom of Sandals Whitehouse scandal,” Shaw told supporters. “If Mr Patterson wants to come back to public life then let him come to the PAC and tell us what happened at Sandals Whitehouse,” Shaw added.

Continuing his broadside against the former prime minister, Shaw questioned why Patterson had to return for an election “after we’re paying him $6 million a year in pension, plus car, plus chauffeur, plus security, plus secretary, plus personal assistant, plus helper, plus shoe shiner”.

Patterson stepped down as PNP president in March 2006, and handed over the reins of prime minister to Portia Simpson Miller in February this year after she defeated three other candidates for the post of party president.

Shaw also poked fun at former JLP member and Member of Parliament for North West St Ann, Verna Parchment, now a PNP member. The conference, called to present Othneil Lawrence as the party’s candidate/caretaker to replace Parchment, attracted support from candidates from other constituencies including Dennis Meadow and Marisa Dalrymple-Phillibert representing North and South Trelawny respectively.

Several JLP MPs were also present, including deputy leader James Robertson, and Ernie Smith.