KINGSTON – George Wright, the embattled government legislator, resigned from the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) on Friday.
A media release from the JLP said that Wright, the member of parliament (MP) for Westmoreland Central, submitted his letter of resignation to general secretary Dr Horace Chang, terminating his membership in the party.
According to the JLP, Wright indicated that he intended to address matters in the public domain and expressed his continued belief in the policies and programmes of the Andrew Holness government and the party.
In April, the police said they ended investigations into a case of alleged assault by Wright, whom the party said will sit as an independent member of the House of Representatives.
“The Jamaica Constabulary Force has conducted investigations into a physical altercation between MP George Wright and businesswoman Tannisha Singh,” the police said.
“Following an exhaustive investigation and interview process that conformed with law enforcement best practices and involved both parties, it is now clear that the investigation into the alleged incident has come to an end at this time.”
It said that “the unwillingness of the parties involved and potential witnesses to participate in the investigation, as well as the poor quality of the video alleged to capture the incident” led it to taking the position to end the probe.
But this has not quelled public pressure for sanctions to be brought against Wright, with the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce calling for his resignation as a government legislator.
Wright is currently on leave of absence from the House, which expires in 17 days.
The JLP won 49 of the 63 seats in last year’s general election.
(CMC)
