KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has dismissed claims made by Member of Parliament (MP) for Westmoreland Central, Dwayne Vaz that former Jamaica Labour Party MP, George Wright, commandeered a shipment of hurricane relief supplies sent to the constituency on Tuesday.

The humanitarian supplies are for the benefit of persons affected by Hurricane Melissa which caused widespread destruction on Jamaica’s southwestern coast after it made landfall in New Hope, Westmoreland on October 28.

Vaz painted a picture of what he said was a case of “political victimisation” in the distribution of the relief supplies. He made the claim during Tuesday’s sitting of the House of Representatives. He charged that Wright, whom he ousted from the seat in the September 3 General Election, played a central role in diverting relief supplies from persons it was intended for.

READ: PNP’s Dwayne Vaz accuses former MP George Wright of hijacking hurricane relief supplies

Speaking after the prime minister had made a nearly two hour-long speech in which Holness gave the preliminary estimate of the damage caused by the hurricane, Vaz said, “I know the prime minister stated earlier in his presentation that there is no intent from the Government to have any unfair or politicised benefit.”

“But there was a situation today (Tuesday) in Westmoreland and even after I spoke to the minister (Pearnel Charles Jr), the minister reached out to me this morning to let me know that a helicopter was coming down with food supplies from the ministry.”

According to Vaz, after the helicopter arrived, “it was total chaos down there”. He stated that, “What I can tell you is that before the helicopter came, the former MP (Wright) and his team was there with trucks and stuff; there are videos of everything (supplies) being loaded in those things [and taken away]…”

However, according to Holness, this is not true. He was responding to questions from 20, mostly Opposition MPs, at the end of a marathon sitting of the House, the first since the country was impacted by the destructive category five hurricane.

He told Vaz that, “You have to be so careful to give the complete picture.”

“My understanding is that there was a delivery of humanitarian assistance where the deputy mayor representing the MP (Vaz) collected aid,” Holness said.

He told the House that “all the councillors got, a church or two got”. The prime minister insisted that the picture presented by Vaz that all the supplies were taken is “obviously not true”.

Continuing, he said, “I don’t want to quarrel over the aid but I want accuracy because it is not true that the former MP just took everything”. He said Vaz also neglected to mention that there were 10 beneficiaries who received the aid.

And, the prime minister said the situation raises another question: “Are caretakers legitimate persons of standing and leadership in the crisis. It’s a question to be asked. I have not yet answered it.”

— Lynford Simpson