The People's National Party (PNP) says the resignation of Transport and Works Minister Mike Henry is a belated response to the scandalous conduct of the entire Government in relation to the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP). The Opposition says others within the Government must answer to the people of Jamaica for their role in the affair as the entire Cabinet is complicit in the matter.

In a statement last night the PNP's Shadow Minister of Finance, Planning and the Public Service, Dr. Peter Phillips said that despite the promise by Prime Minister Andrew Holness to report to the country on the JDIP irregularities, nothing has been heard from him as head of Government. Dr. Phillips adds that while the full extent of Mr. Henry's involvement in the scandalous administration of the JDIP is still not known, blame in this case cannot be the Transport Minister's alone. The PNP finance spokesman says Finance Minister Audley Shaw, for exmaple, was an accomplice by his efforts to keep the project off the budget, and as a result avoid Parliamentary scrutiny and circumvent the procurement rules of the Government of Jamaica.

Dr. Phillips says it is shameful that it took the grossest and most scandalous revelations to come from the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament in the full glare of public scrutiny and pressure to elicit the belated resignation of the Transport and Works Minister.

He says there is still no explanation from the government why, despite the assurances of the former Prime Minister Bruce Golding, no independent consultant has yet been appointed to protect the Jamaican taxpayers and ensure value for money in the implementation of the project.

Dr. Phillips is repeating his call for the Police to be called in to investigate possible fraud in the administration of the JDIP and for the contracts under the programme to be renegotiated.