From Caribbean360

Tufton, who also announced his resignation as chairman of the West St. Elizabeth constituency, said he had communicated his position to the JLP leader, Andrew Holness and the party’s executive members.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Wednesday January 29, 2014, CMC – Former government minister Dr. Christopher Tufton, regarded as one of the more influential members of the main opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), has announced plans to bow out of electoral politics.

Tufton, the former parliamentary representative for the South West St Elizabeth constituency, said he would not be contesting the next general election, constitutionally due in 2016.

Tufton, who also announced his resignation as chairman of the West St. Elizabeth constituency, said he had communicated his position to the JLP leader, Andrew Holness and the party’s executive members.

In a statement, Tufton said he had taken his position after careful consideration.

“This has been an intensely difficult decision for me, but after consulting with my family, members of the constituency and other supporters and much prayer and reflection, I have concluded that the SW St. Elizabeth JLP organization would stand a better chance at electoral success if a candidate unaffected by the political controversies related to the recent leadership race, unite the constituency to offer the formidable challenge necessary to return the seat to the JLP,” Tufton said.

He said he had committed himself to working with the political organisation in the constituency to ensure that a suitable successor is identified.

Tufton served as minister of agriculture in the JLP administration until the party lost the 2011 general election. He also lost his South West St. Elizabeth seat in that election and was appointed an Opposition Senator in the Upper House.

Following the failed bid of former finance minister Audley Shaw to wrest the leadership of the JLP from Holness last November, Tufton, who supported Shaw was removed from the Senate.

The legitimacy of his nomination for the leadership of his Area Council in the party organisation was also challenged and he ultimately resigned from that position.

Tufton came to national attention in the mid 1990s as a high profile member of the fledgling National Democratic Movement (NDM), formed by former prime minister Bruce Golding, who had left the JLP after a bitter split with the party’s then leader and former prime minister Edward Seaga.

Golding and Seaga reconciled sufficiently for Golding to return to the JLP in September 2002, just ahead of the October 16 general election that year. Tufton accompanied him back into the party.

Tufton, in his press release on Tuesday, reiterated his loyalty to the JLP and expressed a willingness to serve in any way possible “to ensure a victory for the party in future elections”.

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