PNP 'not deterred' by threat of legal action by Holness

 

The People's National Party's legal advisor Anthony Hylton says the threat of legal action by Prime Minister Andrew Holness will neither deter nor distract the party from defending the rights of the Jamaican people to good governance, transparency and probity in public life.

 

In a statement, the PNP made it clear that the spectre of a frivolous lawsuit will not stop the party from carrying out its "representational duties and its constitutional responsibilities as the opposition."

 

The response comes hours after Prime Minister Holness declared that he had instructed his attorneys to initiate legal action against senior members of the PNP, over comments they made about when he became aware of the Integrity Commission's probe into his finances.

 

 

Dr. Angela Brown Burke, Opposition Spokesperson for International and Regional Affairs, has said the Jamaican diaspora is concerned about possible repercussions for Prime Minister Andrew Holness in relation to the Integrity Commission's report on his finances.

 

In an interview, Dr. Brown Burke said she has had discussions with individuals and groups from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Africa, who are embarrassed, disappointed and concerned. 

 

"They are concerned because many of them believe that the Prime Minister must be above any doubt or any cloud. We're talking about NGOs, we're talking about charitable organisations, that so many persons in the diaspora, you know, use as a means to help their country. And they wanna make sure that all of their donations or contributions, that they're transparent and that they're going to the causes that they would want.... And this raises some questions in their minds," she argued. 

 

The Prime Minister is scheduled to speak at a town hall at the Lehman Centre for the Performing Arts in New York on Saturday evening.