Opposition Member of Parliament Damion Crawford takes the oath of office in the House of Representatives on Thursday.
February 12, 2026
WATCH: Crawford says disagreement led to PAAC exit, eyes PNP leadership spot
KINGSTON, Jamaica — People’s National Party (PNP) Member of Parliament Damion Crawford says he was not pressured into leaving the Public Administration and Appropriation Committee (PAAC).
Speaking during the ceremonial opening of Parliament on Thursday Crawford said:“I was not in agreement with the way that the committee was being organised and I thought that it would have led to high levels of inefficiency if that disagreement continued.”
Crawford continued to say that he felt some of the ways he had been treated were not up to his own standards sharing a euphemism urging ‘lower income’ ‘grassroots’ people not to allow themselves to be trampled on in the face of ambition.
Admitting that he and fellow PNP MP Peter Bunting did not see eye to eye on the committee he clarified that there was no dispute between them.
“Myself and comrade Bunting worked very well in the Senate at a different level. So it’s just that this particular committee felt that there was a level of inefficiency because we were at odds of how we thought it should have been managed. But there’s no dispute at all,” said Crawford.
Maintaining that he has strong support in the party Crawford said he would do nothing to hurt the party he hopes one day to lead.
“I’ve never been coy about my hope to one day be the chief decision maker. This is not a birthday party for friendship it’s a party about ideological congruence,” he said.
Added Crawford, “The new rules of the party are that there is no election until two years.And the last one was 2025 and so the next one is 2027. It would be foolish of anyone to create any destabilisation for two years.”
(Video: Llewellyn Wynter)
