MCDONALD: "I am committed to doing everything I can to help my community and, by extension, my country." HE IS known in People's National Party (PNP)
circles as "a strong party man with very influential tides".
But who exactly is this 39-year-old owner of the Sprawling 96 acres Melrose Farm Estate Limited in Claremont, St. Ann?
Besides being one of the principals at the heart of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) controversy, who is Denzil McDonald?
"I am but a simple man from very humble upbringing," Mr. McDonald said with a laugh during a one-on-one sit down with The Sunday Gleaner on his farm last Friday. "I am also an intensely
private man who has never sought the spotlight and who likes nothing better than to enjoy life outside of the limelight".
BREAK SILENCE
Mr. McDonald explained that the events of the past few weeks where his company is said to have received payments from the NSWMA totalling $84 million over a two-year period left him with very little choice but to break his silence. His arrangement with the solid waste agency was also said to have not been put out to public tender.
"I just couldn't sit back and allow these allegations to simply hang out there." he said. "The last thing I wanted people to think is that somehow I was involved in some sought of hanky-panky. There are two sides to every story and after telling mine, I will simply leave the Jamaican people to judge."
Asked to explain his close
affiliation to the PNP and whether it had assisted to further his fortunes in life, Mr. McDonald said: "It is natural that some persons would want to make that connection and that I cannot do anything about. I must say, though, that I have never used my party affiliation to go after contracts or to further my personal causes, which is simply not my style.
"From early on in life, I have always believed in allowing your track record to speak for itself, securing things on merit rather than having it given to you. I believe in hard work.
As a youngster, I have planted cabbage and pak choi which I will later sold in the Ocho Rios and Coronation markets. I know what it is like to sleep in the market".
And the rumours of having a clandestine connection to the drug underworld?
"Let me set the record straight", Mr. McDonald stated. "If someone should show me cocaine in one hand and salt in the other, I would never know the difference. I have not only a moral problem with cocaine but also a phobia. I am of the view that if I ever eat or drink from the proceeds of cocaine, then my life would be ruined. Let me, however, make something crystal clear. I have never been the self-righteous type and I am not about to start now. I have used marijuana. I have smoked it and have used it in the form of tea. Also, I have seen people use it for medicinal purposes to good effect. But all that is in the past".
He continued: "I grew up in a small district here in St. Ann called Woodstock. My mother had nine of us and to say we were poor would be putting it mildly. I was also an abused child where my step-father used to make my life a living hell. I grew up seeing people going to what I presume at the time was work and watching them come home late in the evening. It was later that I realised that they were going to the ganja fields and that it was a way of life."
As a student at Ferncourt High School, "I hardly ever had lunch money, sometimes not even breakfast in the morning. I would realise early that if I wanted a guaranteed meal, then a visit to the ganja field where there was always a meal available, was the way to go. I used to take the long walk from school to these fields so I could get food. I am convinced that the rumours that linger today are only because of what I used to do in my childhood days. I am a strict believer in
adhering to the law and I would never advocate the use of or the engaging of persons in the illicit drug trade".
ABUSE
Pressed to elaborate on the abuse he experienced as a young child, Mr. McDonald said: "Even now it is very painful. My step-father used to come home say 3:00 in the
morning and I had to run out of the house and sleep under a tree. Such was the fear that I had of him. He was very abusive and being from an impoverished home, only makes the situation triple times worse. I have no bitterness in my heart, however, and try to use my experience as a positive force for those around me.
"I also believe in giving back and, while not tooting my own horn, I believe I have made a
difference. I am heavily involved in social work and a firm believer in the enhancement of education. I have built an entire computer lab at Claremont All-Age School and have donated computers to other institutions. I have also initiated a lunch-feeding programme at Fern Court High. I grew up in a very poor environment and I know what it feels like to not have much of anything. This is why I am so committed to doing everything I can to help my community and, by extension, my country."
