KINGSTON, Jamaica — Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie has taken offence to a recent statement made by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Westmoreland Central, Dwayne Vaz that people sheltering at Petersfield High School were not in upgraded housing by the promised deadline because of “incompetence” on the part of McKenzie and his ministry.

Vaz made the comment on the May 8 deadline for all victims of Hurricane Melissa to be relocated from schools being used to shelter them. He was also critical of the facilities that were provided, declaring them to be less than suitable.

An irritated McKenzie attacked Vaz in a news release on Friday, arguing that the People’s National Party MP was a man “driven by convenience and opportunism, instead of care and concern for his constituents”.

“This is the Member of Parliament who was publicly rebuked by the Most Honourable Prime Minister in the House of Representatives last November for making sensational and misleading claims that hurricane relief items were ‘hijacked’ in his constituency,” added McKenzie.

The local government minister charged that Vaz made no statement of concern about the actual welfare of the displaced families sheltering at Petersfield High School, declaring that, “He has made no announcement about anything that he has ever done as the elected representative to assist his displaced constituents”.

McKenzie went further, highlighting that Vaz “had nothing to say when I announced the Government’s plans to relocate the shelterees to better accommodations by this point in May. Now that May 8 is here and there has been a delay, he has entered the public domain to make unsubstantiated claims about incompetence”.

He got more personal in his utterances, stating that, “In response to these opportunistic remarks, I want to ask the Member of Parliament: “Why has the contractor selected for executing the housing project for the shelterees not been paid even though financing has been set aside for the works?

“What is the contribution of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation which his party fully controls to the delay in completing the housing project by today (May 8)?”

McKenzie also targeted shelterees, even telling them about the  assistance the Government has provided for them.

He asked: “Why is it then that there are at least two persons still using the shelter at Petersfield, who are well known as his avid supporters, who between them have received over J$1 million in support under the ROOFS Programme?”

McKenzie said his ministry and the government continue to work assiduously to transfer the last of those still in shelters into better, more permanent housing.