KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The leaders of the two major political parties met on Thursday for their first head-to-head clash in the final of three national debates.
The high-stakes leadership debate between the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, and the main opposition People’s National Party (PNP) President, Opposition Leader Mark Golding, kicked off with a question over the ruling party’s alleged pattern of undermining oversight bodies in the public sector and civil society.
Holness denied that his administration has done any such thing. “There’s absolutely no attempt by my administration and indeed, myself, to undermine any oversight body,” the prime minister declared.
He said his Government has instead strengthened such bodies, including the Integrity Commission (IC), which he said he has been very complimentary of and “acted” in a very “dignified” way.
He explained that placing the Office of the Political Ombudsman under the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) is another example of a move to strengthen an oversight body and provide it with a far more institutional framework.
Holness also denied claims made by the PNP that he has 28 bank accounts.
This surfaced following the tabling of an investigation report by the Integrity Commission into his finances.
Holness was rebutting a point made by Opposition Leader Mark Golding surrounding the controversial salary increases to members of the political directorate under the compensation review.
The prime minister used his rebuttal to declare that he had never taken his salary increase, but stated that Golding had taken his as Opposition leader.
“The leader of the Opposition says, ‘I have 28 bank accounts’. That is absolutely not true!” Holness declared.
“The report of the Integrity Commission includes accounts that are closed, dormant accounts, insurance accounts, and investment accounts. They have weaponised it [the accounts],” Holness said as his time ended on that point.
“In my own Integrity Commission report published in Parliament, there were no findings of corruption. All my assets are in Jamaica, and I have declared everything to the Integrity Commission,” Holness said.
“The leader of the Opposition, however, also had a report from the Contractor General previously, which [allegedly] found that they irregularly benefited from public resources; they termed it a sweetheart deal. In my [Integrity Commission investigation report], there is no such thing. None of my resources are ever connected to any public funds or any public resources,” he added.
In response to Holness’ assertions, Golding denied the claims made regarding his (Golding’s) finances.
“My [statutory] declarations have been certified every year as being proper. Yours (Holness) have not…,” Golding said.
In a later clarification, Holness once again returned to the matter of his finances, arguing that the Integrity Commission’s investigation was closed.
Concerning plans announced by the PNP to increase the income tax threshold to $3.5 million, if it forms the next Government after the General Election, Golding came to the defense of his party.
Responding to a question on the practicality of increasing the income tax threshold, Golding said after 13 years of “belt tightening”, the debt-to-GDP ratio is almost near the target of 60 per cent.
“This year it is expected to actually, with the readjustment of the definition and calculation of GDP, this is the year that we expect to achieve that target [of debt-to-GDP. That will release two-and-a-half to three per cent of GDP of additional resources, which were not previously budgeted for in the fiscal policy paper; that is more than sufficient to pay for our entire programme, including the $3.5 million [income tax] threshold, which will make our civil servants and our middle managers, and indeed, most of our Jamaicans who [are] presently suffering under the high burden of the cost of living have money that they can spend,” he explained.
According to Golding, the Government must preserve the country from brain drain and keep society intact.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness, in rebutting Golding’s response, said the “hollowing out of the middle class is an act of the PNP”.
“They (the PNP) decimated the middle class. It is the Jamaica Labour Party that introduced the increase in the non-tax threshold that recreated a middle class in Jamaica,” Holness argued. Another contentious issue was Golding’s loyalty to Jamaica, based on the fact that he once held British citizenship.
The Opposition leader, who renounced his British citizenship last year, took the opportunity to show a copy of his birth certificate during his presentation.
Golding said he also had a copy of the document for Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
When asked why he never acknowledged his dual nationality upfront and why Jamaicans should believe he would be forthcoming with them on any issue, even if it were uncomfortable for him, Golding said he “didn’t hesitate to acknowledge dual citizenship.”
“I was born in Jamaica, I had a British father, and I inherited British citizenship by descent from him; that’s lawful under the laws of Jamaica, and indeed, parliamentarians in Jamaica are permitted to be dual nationals,” Golding explained.
I, therefore, didn’t consider it to be a problem. However, when it was raised last year and politicised, I decided I wanted to know what the Jamaican people felt about it because I thought really my response ought to be driven by them,” he added.
The Opposition leader said he chose to renounce his British citizenship in August of last year, following the findings of an internal poll in which the majority of respondents said Golding should renounce.
The debate was the final major clash between the parties before 45-thousand election day workers, police, and soldiers head to the polls on Friday.
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