Current Junior Public Infrastructure Minister, Jaipaul Sharma has confirmed his exit from the Justice For All Party (JFAP) that was started by his father CN Sharma, while noting that he will also turn down any future ministerial roles should the incumbent Government be reelected.
Sharma made this public statement in response to reports in sections of the media that his name was submitted by President David Granger as a People’s National Congress (PNC) candidate for the National Top up list, rather than a JFAP candidate.
“It should be noted that my intention was to take a break from politics. I would have mentioned this to a few persons months ago much to their dissatisfaction and sadness and they all tried their best to change my decision but if anyone claims to know me, they probably would say when I make a decision, I do it,” Sharma said in his statement
According to Sharma, he was reminded by both APNU and JFAP in the run up to Nomination Day to sign the candidate form. He claimed that he never did because he had intentions of walking away from politics.
Sharma related that at some point in time, he decided to make the jump from JFAP to PNC. He noted that when this was communicated to the General Secretary of JFAP, who it is understood is the wife of the party founder, Savitri Sharma, tensions rose.
“The GS of JFAP was not happy with my move and asked if I was resigning because the leader of JFAP wanted her to be the Minister after the elections and she offered to remove herself as a candidate if I promise to withdraw my resignation.”
“I said to the GS of JFAP that I have made my decision and it had nothing to do with her or my father’s decision to make her the next Minister of Government,” he said, adding that he “would not take any Cabinet Minister position if offered to me after March 2, 2020, or Minister within Ministry position.”
Sharma, who first entered the coalition Government as Minister within the Ministry of Finance, was moved to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure as a Junior Minister last year. Sharma’s move was to fill a vacancy left by the previous Junior Minister, Annette Ferguson, who was shifted to the Ministry of Communities as the subordinate of the substantive Minister.
