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Warm welcome expected for Robertson

Published:Friday | November 19, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Karl Samuda (left), Jamaica Labour Party general secretary, chats with Minister of Energy and Mining James Robertson (centre) and Rudyard Spencer, minister of health, outside the party's Belmont Road, New Kingston, headquarters in St Andrew yesterday. Samuda later addressed members of the media on their annual conference this weekend during a press briefing. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

Embattled government minister James Robertson can expect a warm welcome from his colleagues when he addresses the public session of the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) 67th annual conference on Sunday.

Robertson is the party's deputy leader in charge of Area Council 2 and is scheduled to address the conference despite being the subject of a major police investigation into allegations about his activities in his West St Thomas constituency.

Sources close to Robertson yesterday told The Gleaner that organisers in his constituency are renting more than 20 buses to take people to the conference as a show of support for the man who has represented them since 2002.

The leadership of the JLP is also remaining solidly behind Robertson while awaiting the police probe.

Continued support

"We support him and we are confident that the people of West St Thomas will continue to support him in the overwhelming manner they have done in the past few years," JLP General Secretary Karl Samuda told journalists yesterday.

"There is no question about our loyalty to him and support for him," he added.

According to Samuda: "It is a difficult time for him because allegations are hurtful and they impact on your family ... and I know this must be playing heavily on him."

Samuda expressed confidence that at the end of the police investigations there will be no substance to most if not all the allegations against his Cabinet colleague.

The JLP general secretary said it was unavoidable that Prime Minister Bruce Golding will address the matter at some time but it is likely that he will allow the investigations to run their course before commenting.

"It's a matter that involves the governance of the country and involves a key player in that process, so the prime minister, as the leader of that process, will have to address it," Samuda said.

Robertson has been under pressure since Sunday when media reports surfaced of allegations contained in a sworn statement by a JLP activist seeking asylum overseas. Robertson has rejected the allegations as baseless.

'We support him and we are confident that the people of west St Thomas will continue to support him in the overwhelming manner they have done in the past few years.' - Samuda