Gov't MPs stand behind Prime Minister Holness

 

Government Members of Parliament have pledged to defend the reputation of Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness with the full force of the Constitution and the law.

 

Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives, Edmund Bartlett, who heads the caucus of government MPs, has accused the parliamentary opposition of misusing and misrepresenting reports of the Integrity Commission to malign the Prime Minister.

 

In a statement released Friday, Mr. Bartlett pointed out that the Integrity Commission has not identified any evidence of wrongdoing by the Prime Minister despite years of investigation, significant expenditure of funds and overseas technical assistance.

 

He said the government MPs will not tolerate any politically motivated attacks on the Prime Minister's character or his leadership.

 

The government caucus says it is also concerned about what it terms the Opposition's "apparent insider knowledge" of the Integrity Commission's activities which should be confidential.

 

The government Senate caucus on Thursday expressed full support for Dr. Holness.

 

The Integrity Commission's Director of Corruption Prosecution has ruled against criminal charges against the Prime Minister for allegedly making false income declarations.

 

But, the Integrity Commission has referred its report to the Financial Investigations Division and Tax Administration Jamaica for further analysis.

 

 

Meanwhile, the Jamaica Labour Party has said it is pushing ahead with legal action against senior members of the People's National Party, instead of engaging in a public spat.

 

Prime Minister Holness on Thursday declared that he had instructed his attorneys to initiate legal action against senior members of the PNP, over comments about when he became aware of the Integrity Commission's probe into his finances.

 

In response, PNP's legal advisor Anthony Hylton said the threat of legal action by the Prime Minister will neither deter nor distract the party from defending the rights of the Jamaican people to good governance, transparency and probity in public life.

 

The PNP said the threat of a "frivolous lawsuit" will not stop the party from carrying out its representational duties and its constitutional responsibilities as the opposition.

 

But Government Senator Abka Fitz-Henley, a senior member of the JLP's Communication Task Force, said Mr. Hylton's description of the Prime Minister's move to protect his reputation is less than appropriate. 

 

"We won't spend any time debating pending litigation with Mr. Hylton in the public domain. The next time the PNP hears from us on this matter will be via legal correspondence. And if they don't adopt a contrite public posture, concerning some of the vile and untrue statements made concerning the PM, they will have to explain themselves to the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston," he warned.