PETERSFIELD, Westmoreland — Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supporters in Westmoreland Central are defiant that embattled (MP) Member of Parliament George Wright remains their parliamentary representative, even as pressure mounts for him to step down amidst the alleged beating of a woman.

They claim that Wright, who was unsuccessful in his bid to win the seat in the 2016 General Election did not ditch the constituency after his defeat, unlike some of his predecessors, taking a jab at Russel Hammond, Marlene Malahoo Forte, Faye Reid Jacobs and Trevor) Brooks, who all ran and lost.

“George Wright put up himself and lost, and he took a parish council seat and won, and he used that council seat to build himself, and when the other election come him do him work and beat Dwayne Vaz [of The People’s National Party] (PNP),” Leroy Segree argued.

“We put him in as councillor and put him in as MP. It hurt us because this seat is the toughest seat. Before Mr Wright won it, about 30 years the PNP held the seat. We work and put him in.”

Similar sentiments were echoed by another JLP supporter in the constituency, Heather Gopaul. “The man a do a good work, so when him gone who is going to take over? Him can’t leave. Is him build down here, right now. Everybody else when it comes to the Labour Party run lef we down yah. So when him leave who is going to stand up for us?” questioned Gopaul.

Wright has neither confirmed nor denied that he is the person seen in a video hitting a woman repeatedly and the police have indicated that, because of a lack of evidence, they have closed their investigation into the matter, even though they had revealed that Wright and businesswoman Tannisha Singh had, on the afternoon of April 6, 2021, both made independent reports of a physical altercation that day.

The JLP has instructed Wright to sit in Parliament as an independent member and has stripped him of all party functions. The embattled MP has taken leave of absence from Parliament until June 21.

Segree is still convinced that members of the PNP are covertly behind the push to sideline Wright. “No Labourite not calling for him to leave. Is the PNP dem a do it. The Labourite dem want him in Central Westmoreland,” Segree insisted.

Another supporter, Ted Brown, who claimed that he was a loyal Comrade, but switched allegiance to the JLP after Wright decided to contest the seat, argued that since he was elected, the MP has been doing “a phenomenal job”.

Saying that the Westmoreland Central MP operated on a non-partisan basis, Brown noted that since taking over the reins of the constituency he had successfully made representation for the rehabilitation of five roads in PNP strongholds.

Gopaul added that Wright was not a violent individual. “He is a very nice person and me don’t know him as a bad person, regardless of what happened. Nobody knows what happened. Devil strong; anything can happen.

“If dem disrespect him today, tomorrow when him see you him nah pass you. So he is a very good man and him help people. And he is doing a good job in Westmoreland, and whether you are JLP or PNP, if you ask him for help he is not going to let you down,” she said