Currie is ‘off the menu’ - New Maroon chief says he’s taken, focused on his mission

Newly-elected chief of the Accompong Town Maroons, Richard Currie, says that he is off the menu for the lusting and drooling women on social media, who see him as a sex symbol.

"I do have a significant other and I am a private person so I try to keep that out of the way. Right now the focus is on my mission as chief and leader of the sovereign state of Trelawny town Maroons," said Currie.

Since being elected, Currie has been a hot topic and a favourite dish among women on social media. Sitting under the landmark Kindah One Family Tree in Accompong, a relaxed Currie said he takes the comments online in a playful way, but not seriously.

"I think people are having fun and I think they are just looking at what they are seeing and making comments amongst themselves. What I do notice is that people are taking onto the message and not just the face," he said. "That is the greatest thing for me because it's the voices of the people I carry. I am a messenger for the people. I want them to now feel the message of the people and in whatever way they can, help give me their encouragement and help me where they can to achieve this goal and this ambitious dream I have for the Maroon people."

The captivating Currie told THE STAR that he stays fit by being athletic.

"I play a lot of football, Tuesdays and Thursdays I play ball. I also do jogging and boxing. That to me keeps me fit, it keeps me energised and I love doing it," Currie said.

For decades, former colonels of the Maroons dressed in 'roots-like' fashion. But the new 40-year-old chief, who brings a more pop-style of dressing, said that Maroons are here to represent a culture, the people and sovereignty that actually exist.

"We are here to reassert to people that the Maroons are here and this is part of the reason you are here. We are thankful for what we have and we are grateful for it. What we want is our true game at economics, commerce that existed prior to the treaty. We want to return the livelihood for our community and buoyancy that can only come through economic independence," he said.

"They want you to look like a madman and then come claim sovereignty and chat all kinds of things and sell IDs. No we are not that."