EWARTON: Community group accuses election candidate of stealing spotlight
May 28, 2019A community organization has raised concern that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) caretaker for St Catherine North West, Newton Amos, may have given the wrong impression that he is either the sole sponsor or major sponsor of a road rehabilitation project in the Mount Rosser area of the constituency.
The concern came after Amos, on Labour Day, circulated photos of the Mount Rosser/Ivy road works among his Labour Day projects.
He initially did not declare that the work was being spearheaded by the Mount Rosser Community Association (MRCA), and sponsored mainly by Rio Tinto Alcan – a wastewater treatment plant in Mount Rosser district.
Rio Tinto contributed resources valued at some $500,000 towards the project, which comprised rehabilitation of the Mount Rosser/Ivy main road, which leads to Mount Rosser Primary and Infant School.
Amos’ contribution, on the other hand, went towards lunch on Labour Day.
President of the MRCA, Jason Chambers, said, although the association welcomes any contribution – regardless of size, he is concerned that Amos may have given the wrong impression by publicly associating himself with the project on Labour Day, while not mentioning that any other sponsor – including the main one, is involved.
“Mr Amos is just putting all the light on himself, and the true sponsor that is supposed to be highlighted in that manner is not being highlighted,” Chambers told The Beacon.
He added that, if the matter is not clarified publicly, the ambiguity may leave the main sponsor feeling slighted, and may spoil the tremendous relationship that the MRCA enjoys with Rio Tinto Alcan.
“Seeing someone spend so much money (more than $500,000) and all the acknowledgement is going to someone else (Amos); it would piss off anyone,” Chambers added.
He also noted that Rio Tinto Alcan sponsors other initiatives in Mount Rosser.
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Chambers told The Beacon that MRCA is not a politically affiliated organization; neither is it trying to politically damage Amos, who is a native of Mount Rosser and a past-student of the school that will benefit from the road project.
“This association is for the community, so we don’t want it to look politically affiliated when it is affiliated with no form of political affairs… We cannot stop members from choosing any party they want,” Chambers further declared.
By Horace Mills, Journalist
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