Leslie Harrow, the former director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), is dismissing as “wholly untrue” reports surfacing in the print media around the circumstances of his departure from his post.

In a letter to the newsrooms of The Gleaner and The Jamaica Observer, Harrow he was surprised and shocked to see the front page stories bearing his image and stating that he had “jumped ship” and “quit” the ODPEM.

“I wish to make it unequivocally clear to you, the staff at ODPEM, to the local and international partners of the Agency, and indeed to the Jamaican people, that nothing in these stories is true,” Harrow said in his letter.

“I have not had any conversations with anyone about my time of service at ODPEM, so there is no person or persons who can credibly be called a ‘source’ or ‘sources’ of any information surrounding my departure.”

The former ODPEM boss said he came to the agency on a six-month secondment from the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) on November 1, 2020, with an option to seek an extension at the end of that period, April 30, 2021.

He said he did not resign from the ODPEM and that his decision to return to the EOJ had nothing to do with any unhappiness or interference from any Government official, ministry or agency.

Both articles had attributed to sources claims that Harrow had become frustrated with overbearing influence and interference coming out of the Ministry of Local Government.

“I had and still have a cordial relationship with the Honourable Minister [Desmond McKenzie] and the Permanent Secretary [Marsha Henry Martin] indeed, other members of the Ministry,” Harrow said.

“I wrote a letter to the chairperson of ODPEM, Miss Joy Douglas on April 21, which I captioned ‘Letter of Appreciation – End of Secondment, Director-General – ODPEM’ in which I not only expressed my decision to return to the EOJ, but also thanked her and the team members at the Agency for the way in which they received and supported me.”

He added: “That letter was emotionally difficult for me to write, as in this short space of time I have developed strong bonds with people at all levels of the Agency. I also stated then, and repeat now, that these six months have been rewarding for me and have undoubtedly enhanced my personal and professional growth.”

Harrow said he had reached ou to McKenzie and Henry Martin to express his surprise at the content of the articles and asked the two newspapers to retract the stories.

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