JAMAICA | Mark Golding slams PM Holness for NHT comment

CLARK’S TOWN Trelawny May 30, 2022 - Opposition leader, and People’s National Party President Mark Golding, has lashed out at  Prime Minister Andrew Holness for his repeated declaration that the National Housing Trust (NHT) is not a charity organisation but a financial institution.

Addressing the South Trelawny PNP combined divisional meeting at the Cedric Titus High School in Clark's Town, Saturday night, the PNP President said “Holness has created pure confusion in his remarks about the Housing Trust.” 

What is he really saying in his remarks about the housing trust? Golding questioned. “The impression he has given people is that the housing trust is no longer going to make loans but is going to provide interest rate subsidies to private sector institutions like the banks,” Golding argued.

The Opposition leader’s comments  were  in relation to a statement by prime minister Andrew Holness a couple of weeks ago,as he addressed a groundbreaking ceremony for the Union Acres Housing Development in Irwin, St James.

"The NHT is first and foremost a financial institution to support the development of housing in Jamaica,” Holness said  at the time. “There is an illogical thinking amongst our people where it is believed that if we run our business as a charitable organisation, that we will have the resources to be charitable. I want that point to sink in," Holness  said..

Golding used the opportunity to set the record straight by declaring that  the housing trust was established by former Prime Minister Michael Manley with a mandate to provide housing solutions for the working masses.

"We know that the Housing Trust was built by Michael Joshua Manley for the workers of this country to give them the opportunity to own homes," Golding stated.

"And that has been its focus and that is what it is there for! It cannot be treated like any old financial institution. It has a development objective and mandate by law," the Opposition Leader stated.

"The People's National Party will stand up to protect the National Housing Trust because it is a great institution built out of progressive thinking; it is an institution of social engineering and thousands and thousands and thousands of Jamaican families have benefited because of that great institution which was implemented under the leadership of Michael Manley," Golding said.

Last Tuesday, Opposition Spokesman on Transport, Works and Housing, Mikael Phillips, said the Prime Minister’s words were not only insulting to Jamaican workers and their trade unions, but was an unwarranted and unfortunate remark, especially during Workers’ Week.