PNP Women’s Movement president urges women not to vote for George Wright

WESTERN BUREAU:

Dr Patricia Duncan Sutherland, president of the People’s National Party (PNP) Women’s Movement, is urging the women of Central Westmoreland to take a stance against domestic abuse by not voting for incumbent member of parliament, the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) George Wright, who was accused of attacking and beating a woman in 2021.

Wright, who has never admitted or denied the allegation publicly, and was never arrested or charged amid the swirling allegations, resigned from the JLP amid much finger pointing at him. He returned to the JLP earlier this year; and will again be the party’s candidate for Westmoreland Central in the upcoming general election.

“Comrades of Central Westmoreland, are you going to make sure that George Wright cannot go back to Parliament?” asked Duncan Sutherland, while addressing Sunday’s PNP Women’s Movement Rally at Manning’s School, in Westmoreland. “We must take a stand. We are powerful people. We are powerful persons in our own rights, and we can take a stand. We don’t have to put ourselves back; we don’t have to take it.”

The alleged incident, which sparked national outrage and intensified discussions around domestic violence and accountability in leadership, was captured on video, which went viral. It showed a man hitting a woman with a stool multiple times.

“When a public figure ... does not acknowledge abuse as wrong and does not fix it publicly, it sends a message to some men that it’s okay to beat your woman and get away with it,” said Duncan Sutherland, seemingly referencing the unsubstantiated allegations.

Last September, in reference to the claim against him, Wright said he had “grown past” the allegation, noting that his constituents see him only as their good representative.

HARD-WORKING OFFICIAL

“The people see me as their hard-working, elected official and they treat me as such,” Wright said.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding, who also spoke at the Women’s Movement rally, also expressed disappointment that the JLP had decided to allow Wright to contest the next general election, albeit not providing the reason why he should have been bypassed.

Golding also noted that under a future PNP administration, greater protections and strategic policies would be implemented to protect women from abuse. He also pledged that should women become victims; there would be sufficient centres where they could receive support and comfort.

“Jamaica needs to take the issue of domestic violence and gender-based violence seriously. It is a part of our culture that we must adjust and reform,” said Golding. “The State needs to get behind that with the institutional arrangements that can support victims, but also in terms of the messaging, that can change the culture and make us a more respectful, listening kind of people.”

“We want to establish centres in each parish that will allow women who have been attacked or otherwise abused in any way to report it, to get checked, and to receive counselling and support in a safe, secure, and stable environment,” added Golding.