New York, USA — No sooner has the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC) concluded elections for representatives than a new contention has emerged, threatening to upend relations among Jamaica’s nationals in the United States.

The GJDC electoral committee, which conducted the elections on February 20, 2026, is being accused of defamation arising from the content of news publication about how one candidate was disqualified from the electoral proceedings.

Yet again, the imbroglio involves the familiar name of attorney Wilfred Rattigan, a retired US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agent, who was among the candidates who sought to represent the GJDC in the Northeast US.

Rattigan has filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Queens, New York, claiming he was prevented from contesting the elections “because of false and invalid reasons which were used to wrongfully disqualify plaintiff [him] from the GJDC election for the Northeast United States”.

“This is an action for monetary damages and equitable relief arising from defendants’ publication and dissemination of false and defamatory statements and defamatory implications that plaintiff is a convicted criminal, is regarded as having questionable character, is held in low esteem, does not have a good standing in the community and in professional life and is opposed to co-operating with the Government of Jamaica and the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council,” the lawsuit alleges.

Last month, Jamaican communities across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom elected new members to serve on the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council and Global Jamaica Diaspora Youth Council (GJDYC), following the conclusion of the 2026 Diaspora Council elections.

The Jamaican foreign ministry, which is apparently growing impatient with contentious people like Rattigan and others frequently lambasting the Government, described the elections as “the most competitive and participatory contest in the councils’ history”.

It said “a record 52 candidates and close to 1,700 approved voters” across six electoral regions — USA Midwest and West; USA Northeast; USA South; Canada; UK North and UK South participated. The outcome establishes the next leadership body to advance structured engagement between the Government of Jamaica and its Diaspora for the next three years.

The Gleaner newspaper and one of its correspondents in the United States have also been named as respondents in Rattigan’s legal action which also claims that the GJDC electoral committee’s conduct caused him “reputational harm, humiliation and economic injury including plaintiff’s standing in the Jamaican Diaspora, harm to plaintiff’s law practice and interference to plaintiff’s prospective business relations”.

Responding to Rattigan’s charges, chairman of the committee Donovan Wilson told the Jamaica Observer that two candidates were disqualified from the contest, one for late filing (who was not named) and the other under section 5.2 of the rules governing the criteria for anyone seeking to represent the GJDC.

“The committee merely referred Rattigan to section 5.2 of the rules governing qualification or disqualification of candidates from participating in the election. Section 5.2 of the rules is broad, as it carries eight subsections.

“However, at no time did the committee make any specific reference to any of the sections under which the disqualification was made,” arguing that the committee “was careful not to get into any specifics about the reason or reasons for the disqualification as it was felt that to do so would be controversial”.

Section 5.2 of the rules does say – among other things – that people who have been convicted or who have filed for bankruptcy are ineligible to represent the Diaspora.

Rattigan is maintaining that “I “do not fit into any of those categories and am therefore seeking monetary damages and equitable relief”.

The legal issue is the latest in a series of events that have dogged the GJDC and its predecessor, the Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board over several years. In January of this year, a former member of the Jamaica Advisory Board, Patrick Beckford, called for a boycott of the elections, citing a need for the GJDC to become autonomous.

Shortly after the elections, out-going representative for the Southern US Peter Gracey also argued for changes to be made to the GJDC to allow for more autonomy.

Meantime, among the newcomers following the elections are: Janice McIntosh, who will represent the Southern US; and Dr Binzie R Davidso,n who was elected in the West-Mid West US. In the North-East US Michelle Tulloch-Neil will again be the GJDC representative for that region. A number of GJDC Youth representatives were also chosen during the election.

The representatives will now turn their attention to preparing for the 11th staging of the GJDC Biennial Conference slated for Montego Bay, St James, from June 14 to 18 this year.