Tufton withdraws nomination for deputy leader
FORMER Cabinet Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has withdrawn his nomination as deputy leader for the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Area Council Four.
Tufton, who has been serving as deputy leader since 2010, was only recently removed from the Senate when JLP Leader Andrew Holness submitted previously undated resignation letters for him and Arthur Williams to the governor general. Educator Ruel Reid and businessman Dr Nigel Clarke were on Thursday sworn in to fill the two vacancies.
There has been controversy within the Opposition JLP about the nomination of Tufton and James Robertson, the incumbent deputy leader for Area Council Two. The party claimed that their nominations were not submitted on time, but both men insisted that they were properly nominated and relevant forms sent to the party’s secretariat before the cut-off date.
Tufton, in a letter to Holness, said that after much thought and consultations he has decided, in the interest of party unity, to withdraw his nomination for deputy leader.
“[I have] no desire to prolong the divisive and rancorous conflict that is threatening the party’s progress and runs counter to the best interests of the country,” Tufton said in his correspondence to the party leader.
Addressing the issue of his contested nomination, Tufton said he found it “unfortunate” that having been duly nominated on September 29 at the Manning’s School in Westmoreland, in the presence of a large number of Area Four delegates, his nomination was now being questioned.
Yesterday, he expressed his gratitude to the delegates of Area Council Four, thanking them for their support during his tenure as deputy leader. At the same time, he made it clear that he remained a member of the party and was staunchly committed to the process of unifying the JLP as it seeks to regain State power in pursuit of a national development agenda for Jamaica. “This is my paramount interest and has been throughout my tenure in this great party,” Tufton said.
The outgoing deputy leader extended congratulations to Holness on his victory in the recent leadership poll, and reiterated his willingness to serve the party and country in the interest of national development.
