Hello! How George Wright greeted an MP on returning to Parliament
Published:Tuesday | June 8, 2021 | 6:22 PM
Jovan Johnson/Senior Staff Reporter
"Hello!"
That was how embattled Westmoreland Central Member of Parliament George Wright greeted the Manchester North Western representative Mikael Phillips on Tuesday afternoon.
Wright, who was making a surprise return to Gordon House had taken a seat beside Phillips on the Opposition benches.
Phillips told The Gleaner that he returned the greeting.
Last week, Wright resigned as a member of the Jamaica Labour Party.
However, several sources later told The Gleaner that he would not yield to a crescendo of calls to quit the Lower House.
Wright's return to Gordon House 13 days before the expiration of his leave of absence coincided with the tabling of a parliamentary committee report on the Sexual Harassment Bill and the Sectoral Debate presentation by Gender Affairs Minister Olivia Grange.
“On too many occasions, I have had to come to this House to denounce horrific acts of violence against women and girls,” said Grange, opening her presentation.
Grange was the first government minister to have expressed concern when the George Wright scandal erupted mid-April.
Her disgust came after a man was featured in closed-circuit television footage battering a woman with a stool.
The police say both Wright and his common-law wife Tannisha Singh had filed assault complaints against each other but both decided against pressing charges and so investigators decided to close the case.
In Parliament today, shortly after Wright sat briefly on the Opposition front benches, Everald Warmington, a government minister, reportedly called out to him before the Westmoreland Central MP walked out of the chamber with JLP Chairman Robert Montague.
Montague is also the mining and transport minister.
Wright did not return to the chamber.
Meanwhile, the Opposition People's National Party says it is against Wright sitting with its cohort.
Gordon House has said “Mr Wright will sit in the Opposition benches.”
The JLP said Wright has indicated that he will address the issues in public domain and that he still supported the policies and programmes of the party and Government.
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