Abe Dabdoub in the House of Representatives yesterday, two days after he resigned from the Jamaica Labour Party to become an independent Member of Parliament. - RUDOLPH BROWN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
MEMBER OF Parliament for North East St. Catherine, Abe Dabdoub, is not ruling out seeking membership in the governing People's National Party (PNP).
Mr. Dabdoub on Sunday tendered his resignation as a member of the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), but remains MP as an independent.
"I am very much in favour of some of the policies that I have seen implemented by the People's National Party government," said Mr. Dabdoub on Hot 102 FM's 'Breakfast Club' yesterday morning. "Fighting to stay in the Jamaica Labour Party is not in the best interest of my being able to serve my country."
IMPRESSED WITH PORTIA
According to Mr. Dabdoub, he is impressed with Portia Simpson Miller's stance against political tension, demonstrated by her 'Team Jamaica' approach since winning the PNP presidential election on February 25.
Mr. Dabdoub also said yesterday that while he had concerns with the management of the Operation PRIDE housing project implemented by the PNP administration, the concept was one of the finest. Similarly, he said Highway 2000 was a move in the right direction.
Meanwhile, Mr. Dabdoub has described the JLP as an ineffective organisation with no clear mandate guiding its future and he said this has contributed to his decision to resign from the party.
"The Jamaica Labour Party is not what it used to be and I really don't know what it stands for now," he declared.
DEFENDING POWER
According to him, the Bruce Golding administration has been more focused on defending power than efficiently running the party, which he said has facilitated a division in the North East St. Catherine constituency.
And he said that under Mr. Golding's leadership, the JLP has on more than one occasion breached its own constitution. In one such case, Mr. Dabdoub said the party accepted Gregory Mair as caretaker for North East St. Catherine without informing him as the sitting MP, a matter Mr. Dabdoub said JLP General Secretary Karl Samuda acknowledged in a letter to him.
In the meantime, Mr. Dabdoub said that although there have been challenges in his constituency, he has been an effective MP.
