St Bess leaders hail Witter’s appointment to executive
Published:Wednesday | January 12, 2022 | 12:09 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Business and civic leaders in St Elizabeth are hailing as “a move in the right direction” the promotion of Franklyn Witter to the Holness executive as state minister in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Witter, member of parliament for St Elizabeth South East, previously served as deputy speaker of the House of Representatives between 2016 and 2020.
Monday’s Cabinet reshuffle will see Witter, a farmer, serving along with portfolio minister, Pearnel Charles Jr.
Beryl Rochester, custos of St Elizabeth, lauded Witter’s elevation, noting that his appointment would help to advance services to farmers across the Breadbasket Parish and the wider Jamaica.
“I believe it’s an excellent move for him to be there,” Rochester said of Witter, a former mayor of Black River and councillor for the Junction division.. “I believe he will do justice to the position.”
Similar sentiments were echoed by Christos Brown, vice-president of the St Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce.
“We gladly welcome his promotion. It’s good to see that more MPs from the parish are able to make meaningful contributions to the country’s national development,” Brown said.
St Elizabeth South West Member of Parliament Floyd Green has returned to the Cabinet after resigning last September after a video went viral with him toasting friends at a hotel birthday party while the country was under a coronavirus lockdown.
“It was unexpected. However, we are happy to welcome his return to the Cabinet,” Brown told The Gleaner.
“He was a strong minister of agriculture and many farmers benefited from his leadership while he was there.”
As at January 11, seven of 16 MPs in the county of Cornwall are in the Holness executive.