McKenzie will intervene in Algaj Squabble

After the chaos that led to a premature termination of the annual general meeting last Friday of the Association of Local Government of Jamaica (Algaj), the local government minister, Desmond McKenzie, says he has started a meeting with his executive.

Police had to be called to the Golf View hotel to relieve tensions after the interruption on the agenda and how the meeting should proceed.

During the terrible experience, the left hand of the president of Alaraj, Winston Maragh, was bruised after a microphone was removed strongly, according to reports, by a woman councilor.

When heading to a media conference after the centered on Wednesday, McKenzie described the interruption of the meeting as “unprecedented and very disturbing.”

“Once again, the behavior of some councilors has made the local government deactivate. I have written to the Algaj Executive inviting them to a meeting to declare the position, because we cannot afford an important institution such as the local government, which offers service to the people of Jamaica, so that it is disapproved about the office position. They are not being disputed legally, ”McKenzie told the Media Conference in Jamaica House.

When asked about a timeline for his speech and the meeting with Executive McKenzie said he intends to clarify that so he can take more measures.

“The decision on the meeting is acquired in the Algaj Executive. I hope to meet with Algaj next week to discuss the issues. I think there has to be a cooling period and what we are seeing that this struggle for power is happening and is not serving the interest of the local government, ”he said.

“It can serve personal interests, but not to the general benefit of the local government and I hope to make it quite clear, because people might not know that the Local Government Law gives the Minister of the Local Government broad powers on affairs, certain certain elements of the government Local, and if they take me to the limit, I will exercise the powers granted within the Local Government Minister, ”added McKenzie, who did not indicate what actions he could take.

Maragh, a member of the ruler Labor Party of Jamaica and former mayor of May Pen, last Friday accused the members of the Popular National Party to cause problems during the meeting, the first AGM since 2018, when he decided to move to the election of officers in the Agenda

“However, our PNP members thought for themselves that they would have been overcome at that time and, therefore, decided to take the meeting to chaos,” Maragh said.

“One of the councilors took the microphone from my hand and in the process of doing so, my hand was bruised and cut,” he told the journalists.

Maragh also said he believed that the councilor who grabbed the microphone was influenced to do so.

Aspiring to the presidency of the association, Councilor Scean Barnswell (Popular National Party, The Hayes Division) accused Maragh of violating the Constitution of Algaj.

“The president moved to a suspension of the permanent order to move directly to the elections and said: ‘President, he cannot move to an election before dealing with these important issues, which is his report, but even more so the financial report of Declaration ‘. That he should be on the agenda, “Barnswell told the media last Friday.