JAMAICA | Golding Bats for CCJ Final Court, Lashes Gov't Corruption

KINGSTON, Jamaica September 18, 2023 - People's National Party  President and Opposition Leader Mark Golding has reiterated the long standing position of the PNP that it will not support the removal of King Charles as Jamaica’s head of state without severing ties with the Privy Council and moving to the Caribbean Court of Justice as the country's final court.

“Jamaicans need a final court where they don’t need a visa to go there and where the costs are not way out of their reach. TIME COME for a Jamaican head of state and the Caribbean Court of Justice as our final court. We will support both moving forward together. We have no interest in one without the other,” Golding declared.

Delivering the main address at the public session of his People's National Party's 85th Annual Conference at Kingston's National Arena, Golding called for the Integrity Commission to be fully supported in its mandate to hold public officials accountable.

Goldinglashed out at the Andrew Holness administration for what he claims is its tolerance of corruption. “A corrupt government cannot liberate the people. If the head of the stream is corrupt, the entire river will be also."

“I do not support corruption. Corruption takes money away from children’s education, it deprives hospitals of basic necessities, it means that roads are not fixed, corruption deepens inequality, it siphons off taxpayers' money to make a few cronies richer ...instead of benefitting the people.”

The Opposition leader also took a swipe at the government, accusing it of doing everything it can to weaken and undermine the Integrity Commission.  According the Golding, "Jamaica cannot move forward without a government built on integrity and which embraces principles of good governance.

A corrupt government cannot liberate the people. And if the head of the stream is corrupt, the entire river will be also.

I do not support corruption:

*corruption takes money away from children’s education; it deprives hospitals of basic necessities; it means roads are not… pic.twitter.com/LYHy4nCwb3

— Mark J. Golding (@MarkJGolding) September 20, 2023

“That is what I believe in, that is how I live my life," he stated before declaring himself a “ born Jamaican, son of the soil.”

Golding said he is from a family that has given selfless service to the people of Jamaica. I am who I am. I am offering myself to the Jamaican people for service in their interests with the skills, knowledge and experience I have gained in life. I don’t come to scrape. I come to serve all Jamaicans; and I come with clean hands and a clean heart.

“Whatever depraved and divisive vulgarities my political opponents may stoop to in their desperation to hold onto power, I will not be daunted. I have no fear of them. I stand firm in leading our Party in our mission of social and economic transformation to a better Jamaica for all our people.

“ I do not support corruption. Corruption takes money away from children’s education, it deprives hospitals of basic necessities, it means that roads are not fixed, corruption deepens inequality, ”

“We want to make the Government accountable to the people of Jamaica in the Parliament," said Golding. This Government has been doing everything it can to weaken and undermine the Integrity Commission, which is the institution I designed as Minister of Justice and brought to Parliament to fight corruption in our country.

“I have said it before and will tell you again. Jamaica cannot move forwardwithout a government built on integrity that embraces principles of good governance.

 "we want to deepen the democracy, we want to make the elected people more accountable to those they represent. We must introduce a recall mechanism for non-performing elected representatives as other parties and countries have done around the world. "And we must restore the convention where the committees of parliament are chaired by the opposition."

That practice was ended by Prime Minister Andrew Holness after the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) won the 2020 general election except for two committees - the Public Accounts Committee and the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee.

“Those committees are supposed to be a check and balance on the government. They cannot be effective if they’re controlled by the government," said Golding. He charged that "when Andrew Holness reversed the convention after the 2020 election it was a retrograde step."

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