Mark Golding Thinks Holness Owes Him an “Apology” Plus Talks Walkout “I never said anything disrespectful” – Watch Interview
Leader of the People’s National Party (PNP), Mark Golding, has stated that he deserves an apology from Prime Minister Andrew Holness regarding his behaviour in the House of Parliament on March 19, when he walked out during a presentation by Golding.
The presentation, which sparked turmoil, featured Golding stating that the appointment of Holness’ wife as speaker of the house goes against parliamentary tradition. In an interview, Golding explained why he opposes Juliet Holness‘ appointment as speaker of the house.
“I was making a point that we are in a low trust environment, and there are a number of things that have happened which are contributing to this low trust environment. I made a number of points, giving examples of that…including the issue of the appointment of the spouse of the prime minister, his wife, as the speaker, which has established an unprecedented situation,” he told The Fix hosts.
According to Golding, he and his fellow PNP members had concerns about Juliet’s impartiality, but they opted to observe her management of parliament rather than objecting to her appointment. However, Golding stated that he currently has an issue with how parliament is managed since her appointment.
Furthermore, Golding expressed that tradition dictates that parliament should display unified support when appointing a speaker, which influenced the PNP’s decision to support her appointment. He also noted that despite their opposition, they could not block her appointment due to the JLP having the majority of supporters.
“I am not calling for her resignation,” he said later in the interview, indicating that he only wants her to correct the issues with how she manages parliament. Additionally, he noted that he has no personal issues with Juliet and mentioned that he respects her.
However, when asked if he would apologise for his statement, he firmly responded, “Certainly not. I think the prime minister owes me an apology for having walked out during my speech and preventing me from completing when I never said anything disrespectful to anyone. I was making a point of principle, which I think is a valid and sound point.”
Watch the interview with Mark Golding below:
The interview was shared on Saturday on YouTube and has been garnering many responses. One viewer said, “He has nothing to apologize for. Hold your ground Sir.”
Another viewer said, “The man was talking facts. There is no way a man should be Prime Minister and his wife the speaker. This mean no one can talk to him, not even the speaker. Andrew turn politics inna family business.”
Read more of the comments below:
