Former state minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Arnaldo Brown says he is not ruling out a return to representational politics.

Brown made the revelation in an interview with OBSERVER ONLINE over the weekend amid social media speculation, fueled by a prominent member of the Jamaican diaspora in Canada, that his return to politics was imminent.

The rumour mill began churning after Director of Social Services and Health for the Jamaican Diaspora Canada Foundation, Kingsley Gilliam used his social media platform to rehash photos of Brown during his tenure as state minister during the Portia Simpson-led People’s National Party (PNP) administration from 2012 to 2016.

In captioning the photos, Gilliam lauded Brown for what he said was Brown’s stellar job in keeping the diaspora motivated and active, as he suggested that the diaspora’s vibrancy has since waned.

“Indeed, this was when we had an effective diaspora movement. A minister that filled the Montego Bay Convention Centre with delegates. Your stocks have risen quite high, and you can’t be outdone,” said Gilliam online.

Others who saw the post shared similar sentiments, arguing that Brown’s tenure as state minister was one of the most active periods in the diaspora’s history while criticising the current administration for allegedly alienating Jamaicans abroad.

OBSERVER ONLINE reached out to Brown who shared that he was not ruling out a return to representational politics, adding that politics was in his blood.

Brown explained that suffering a defeat in his former seat of St Catherine East Central in 2016 forced him to become more introspective and focus more on building out his many businesses.

“What people don’t understand is that representational politics and truly making an impact in a seat requires significant revenue resources,” Brown said.

The time away, Brown said, gave him a chance to rekindle his passion for politics as well as replenish his coffers.

While he did not contest the 2020 General Elections, Brown noted that he supported PNP candidates such as Winston De la Haye and worked with the party in its Region 4.

Brown suggested that little has changed in terms of development since the PNP demitted office in 2016 and attributed the rise of social media for making the situation “appear better”.

“Roads are still bad if not worse, some communities are still without water. On a community level nothing much has changed. In fact, there is much more suffering now, the only difference is people are suffering with a filter on. Snapchat and IG make things appear better and look more palatable,” said Brown.

“However, when you look at true economic indicators, things like real wages, they have been pretty much stagnant and people are poorer than they were when we left office in 2016,” added Brown.

Brown said seeing what has transpired over the last seven years has reignited his passion for public service, as he stopped short of confirming that he would be throwing his hat back into the political arena.

“When the time is right, I will serve in some capacity – I am not ruling anything out at this stage. For me it is all about getting Jamaica back on track,” said Brown.

Brown pointed to what he said is the unconstitutional use of states of emergencies by the Government as one of the examples that the country has fallen off track, adding that thousands of young men, primarily from marginalised communities, detained under SOEs are often released without charge.

Another area of concern for Brown is the economy, as he noted that he was gravely concerned about the number of Jamaicans living in poverty.

“I always remember the words of our former PM ‘Sister P’, economics is not just about balancing the books it is also about balancing people’s lives. And that’s what’s missing in the discussions we’re having about Jamaica and Jamaicans today. We’re forgetting our most important assets and what makes the nation – it is the people- it is Jamaicans,” added Brown.

Brown first entered representational politics in 2007 when he contested the local government election as the PNP candidate for the Westchester division.

In 2011, he created political history by becoming the first elected Member of Parliament for the then new constituency of Saint Catherine East Central, one of three new seats added that moved the number of constituencies from 60 to 63.

In January of 2012, Brown was appointed Minister of State by then Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller; a portfolio he held until February 2016.