The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) says it has always been an inclusive party, even as it skirted questions regarding comments made by Cabinet member Everald Warmington regarding Opposition Leader Mark Golding’s complexion.

Speaking at a St Catherine North Eastern constituency conference on Sunday, Warmington reportedly asserted that Golding will never become prime minister of Jamaica because of his skin colour.

Warmington argued that the People’s National Party (PNP) used racial politics against former JLP leader Edward Seaga, and it was fair game to take a similar dig against Golding.

“If he wants to be prime minister – go back a England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland. But him nah beat Michael Andrew Holness. I don’t talk about colour and race, but they started it, so let me finish it,” Warmington, the JLP Area Council Two chairman, reportedly said.

Responding to the incident during a press conference held at the JLP’s Belmont Road headquarters in St Andrew on Thursday, Minister of Information Robert Nesta Morgan said the party does not discriminate against any race.

Morgan declared that since its inception, the JLP has always been a collaboration involving races in Jamaica.

“Throughout our history, we have always been inclusive. It’s not the JLP that has brought racial division into the body politic of the Jamaican people,” asserted Morgan.

He pointed out that membership of the JLP includes persons of Chinese, middle-eastern, Asian and European descent “and they have all come together with the JLP under one umbrella to build out a strong party”.

In the meantime, JLP general secretary, Dr Horace Chang, told the media briefing that Warmington’s comment was unfortunate.

“Certainly it did not come across very well and we have noted all the comments by the private sector and other business community leaders,” said Chang.

In a release on Wednesday, the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) said it was disappointed with what it called “racially divisive” comments made by Warmington.

READ: PSOJ slams Warmington’s ‘racially divisive’ comments on Golding

“These comments have no place in the Jamaican context now or in the past as it is totally inconsistent with our motto ‘out of many one people’,” the PSOJ said.

According to the PSOJ, the utterances by Warmington directly contradict the Political Code of Conduct, which states that party officials (including platform speakers) should not make statements that “are malicious in reference to opposing candidates, their families and Party officials”.

The Office of the Political Ombudsman has since launched a probe into Warmington’s comments.

– Alecia Smith