Jamaica condemns Frank Hester’s Diane Abbott comments amid concern over contract
Jamaica condemns Frank Hester’s Diane Abbott comments amid concern over contract
The Jamaican government has joined widespread condemnation of comments by the Conservative’s party’s biggest donor, Frank Hester, amid concerns about a contract it signed with his digital health company.
Earlier in March the Guardian revealed that during a meeting in 2019 Hester had said Diane Abbott, Britain’s first black female MP, made you “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”, remarks that are now subject of investigation by West Yorkshire police.
After the publication of the remarks, Jamaica’s health ministry has faced calls to cancel a deal, worth a reported $5m (£4m), for Hester’s healthcare technology company, TPP, to manage the country’s digital medical records.
In its first comments on the issue, Jamaica’s ministry of health and wellness (MOHW) said in a statement that it “condemns any form of discriminatory behaviour, including racism and sexism”, the Jamaica Gleaner reported.
It pointed out the contract was signed with TPP before the ministry was aware of Hester’s remarks.
The ministry called on TPP to hold Hester to account for the remarks. It said: “The MOHW takes this matter very seriously and calls for appropriate action to be taken within the firm to hold Mr Hester accountable based on the findings from the investigations.”
Jamaica’s culture minister, Olivia Grange, also condemned the remarks. In a statement seen by the Guardian, she said: “As a Jamaican woman, I was shocked to read that a prominent Englishman had made such a horrible statement that seeing Diane Abbott on TV made him ‘want to hate all Black women’.”
She added: “That the woman of whom he spoke has Jamaican roots, made his statement a personal offence to me and all Black Jamaican women. On behalf of all Jamaicans, I offer Diane full support in this difficult situation.”
“I hope there is some way to reconcile this matter in a way that brings peace.”
Hester has apologised for the remarks as being “rude” but insisted they were not motivated by race or gender.
Lord Marland, a businessman and Tory donor who says he knows Hester, has previously cited TPP’s work in Jamaica to support his claim that Hester is not racist. Speaking on LBC, Marland said: “He travels widely overseas – he does a lot of a business in Jamaica, he does business in Malaysia, in Bangladesh, in places like that – so he’s not a racist.”
Earlier on Monday, Jamaica’s opposition health spokesperson, Dr Alfred Dawes, said this defence added “insult to injury”. He was reported as saying: “That the government of Jamaica is allowing its dealings with Mr Hester to be used as a rebuttal to the activism of black Britons, the diaspora and their supporters, is an egregious offence against our proud history of the struggle against oppression.”
Last week, a former Jamiacan opposition MP Ronald Thwaites urged the government to tear up its contract with TPP. He wrote: “Diane’s Jamaican sisters and brothers are now paying big money tomplement the National Medical Records System. The Ministry of Health must cancel that contract now.”
Articles-Popular
- Main
- Contact Us
- Planetary Existences-2
- Planetary Existences
- TWO REVELATIONS-2
- The Two Revelations
- Jeffery Epstein - The Saga - 9
- Jeffery Epstein - The Saga - 8
- Jeffery Epstein - The Saga - 10
- Universality of Initiation
- The Participants In The Mysteries-2
- The Path Of Initiation
- Initiation and the Devas
- The Fourth Way - Study of Oneself - P.D.Ouspensky
- Impeachment Investigators Subpoena White House - Ukraine
- Discipleship - Group Relations - 2
- The Probationary Path - 2
- The Final Initiation
- The Succeeding Two Initiations
- The Participants In The Mysteries
- Discipleship - Group Relationships
- Discipleship
- Jeffery Epstein - The Saga - 7
- The Fourth Way - Wrong Functions - P.D Ouspensky
- Statues are a mark of honour. Like Edward Colston, Cecil Rhodes and Oliver Cromwell have to go
- Jeffery Epstein - The Saga - 6
Articles - Latest
- China's president arrives in Europe to reinvigorate ties at a time of global tensions
- Russia issues WW3 'retaliation' warning to London over Crimea Bridge
- The Tory big beasts tipped to lose their seats
- Andy Burnham makes cheeky request to people of Manchester as he’s re-elected mayor
- The unexpected announcement of a prime minister divides Haiti's newly created transitional council
- Blinken to Hamas: Accept Israel's 'extraordinarily generous' Gaza truce proposal
- 'Loan shark', 83, ordered to pay back over £173,000
- Thai court adds jail time for rights lawyer who urged monarchy reform
- Rapist jailed a decade after campaign of abuse against London woman
- Former SNP council leader appears in court charged with sexual offences
- Former mayor of Winchester smothered elderly mother with cushion, court told
- Spanish PM decides not to quit despite corruption claims against wife
- Scotland's Yousaf set to resign as first minister, UK media say
- Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned
- Jamaica on track to remove King Charles as head of state by 2025, minister says