Palmer

People's National Party (PNP) candidate for Central Manchester, Vando Palmer, has tendered his resignation as PNP caretaker and constituency chairman with immediate effect.

Mr. Palmer's resignation comes ahead of a decision by the PNP on his candidacy following allegations that he abused his wife.

Since the allegations surfaced in January, public debate followed with many persons, including his Opposition counterpart in Central Manchester, Sally Porteous, taking him to task for the alleged action.

General Secretary of the PNP, Donald Buchanan, had said the party was conducting a review of Mr. Palmer's candidacy before making an official announcement.

But in a letter to Mr. Buchanan yesterday, Mr. Palmer said he was "deeply hurt and disappointed about the dirty underbelly to politics in Jamaica ...".

Dared to be different

He said during his tenure in Central Manchester, he dared to be honest, truthful, independent and different. However, Mr. Palmer said this did not go down well with his detractors in the constituency.

"The many lies, slanderous comments and innuendoes levelled against me that came from inside and outside of meetings, both at the local and national levels, have only served to highlight the hypocrisy of the underbelly of which I spoke earlier," he declared.

Mr. Palmer said the "unfortunate" allegations of spousal abuse only served to worsen the situation.

He stated categorically that he did not abuse his wife, physically nor verbally. This, he said, was later confirmed in a confession by Mrs. Palmer to family therapist, the Reverend Dorothy Grant.