Holness threat to sue PNP members meant to muzzle public discourse - Bunting

By Prince Moore    

 

Opposition Senator Peter Bunting believes Prime Minister Andrew Holness' threat of legal action against members of the People's National Party over comments about the probe into his finances is intended to shut down discussions.  

 

Prime Minister Holness instructed his attorneys to initiate legal action against senior members of the People's National Party, over comments about when he became aware of the Integrity Commission's probe into his finances.

 

A statement from the Prime Minister's camp described the comments, made during a PNP press conference on Thursday, as defamatory and false.

 

But Senator Bunting believes the Prime Minister is trying to silence further public discourse on the matter.

 

Mr. Bunting maintained that Mr. Holness should have kept the country informed after being advised that he was under investigation by the Integrity Commission. 

 

"Even if having made this extensive dismissal on the 17th of August, that you have questioned far and wide and you know of no case where there is. And then the following day you learn that you, yourself, are under investigation for illicit enrichment, you don't think that you have an obligation to come back to the country...?" Senator Bunting questioned, criticising the Prime Minister for from remaining silent and supposedly preventing others in his party from being able to speak on matters related to the Integrity Commission. 

 

The opposition senator was speaking Thursday on Radio Jamaica Beyond the Headlines.