Embattled Westford backs out from speaking in Nat’l Assembly

Aug 20, 2015 News

Perhaps anxiety was a factor; and the real possibility exists that she was not well, but no explanation was given on the floor of the National Assembly as to why former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford did not honour her commitment to address the House last evening.
Dr. Westford, who has frequently been in the news recently for the wrong reasons, was scheduled to make her contributions to the ongoing budget debate last evening, but did not.
Strangely enough, it was not a case where the Member of Parliament did not show up at all. Indeed, the Member attended yesterday’s sitting. However, she left after the completion of the first session, even though she was supposed to speak during the second.
Dr. Westford was scheduled to speak just before Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan.
Being the sort of politician he is, the Minister made no qualms to point out that his colleague backed down from the task.
When Ramjattan took the floor he talked about the PPP’s alleged promotion of racism before he actually addressed crime, at which point the PPP Members of Parliament urged him to “make haste talk about how you gon solve crime.”
Ramjattan responded, “Yes yuh gon hear me talk now about crime, but I wanted to hear from honourable Member Jennifer Westford before I speak. Jennifer, the honourable was supposed to speak before me, but she has not… I wonder why?”
Heckling is becoming more and more dominant in the chamber. The talk among those on the government’s side was that “Jenny know we would have blazed her, that is why she gone.”
Westford has been the centre of attention in recent weeks following irregularities associated with the ministry that fell under her purview.
One day after her former Chief Personnel Officer, Margaret Cummings, was grilled by investigators, Westford walked into the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, with her lawyers.
Police sleuths were trying to determine what role, if any, Westford played in the withdrawal of tens of millions from the accounts of the Public Service Ministry between February and April, last, shortly before the General and Regional Elections on May 11.
Before that questioning, Westford had appeared in court charged with the illegal transfer of eight vehicles belonging to the state and was placed on a total of $800,000 bail.
Cummings was charged with forgery in relation to the same transfers and granted bail to the tune of $1.2M.
Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman, had disclosed that the Government was unable to find where over $120M from the Ministry had gone. The monies were reportedly earmarked for training of staffers at the regional levels and withdrawn in tranches. However, checks with the intended recipients found that the withdrawn sums, each tranche to the tune of tens of millions, never reached the intended regions.
The vehicle scheme was uncovered after former Permanent Secretary of the Public Service Ministry, Hydar Ally, revealed to the new government that there was an attempt to transfer the government vehicles to Dr. Westford, her spouse, and two other private individuals. This was just as the new administration was about to take over.

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