State minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alando Terrelonge, says the social media posts omitting the faces of two former People’s National Party (PNP) prime ministers were done by a member of his team.

Terrelonge has been facing much criticism after he shared photo highlights from his visit to the Jamaican High Commission in London in the United Kingdom launch of the 10th Jamaica Diaspora Conference with his Instagram followers.

In the highlights, the Jamaican flag emoji was used to block out the portraits of former prime ministers, Portia Simpson Miller and P.J. Patterson.

“I was advised of stories posted by one of my team members with access to my social media, not in keeping with my style of posting. He was instructed to remove all stories posted to the account immediately, and I have since removed him from access to all my social media accounts,” the state minister said.

“The stories posted are indeed regretted and, as stated, do not reflect my approach over the years,” he added.

The youth arm of the People’s National Party (PNP), the People’s National Party Youth Organization (PNPYO), has since condemned Terrelonge’s action and called for an immediate apology.

The organisation is also calling for Prime Minister Andrew Holness to swiftly implement the promised social media policy for government members.