PARLIAMENT’S Privileges Committee failed again yesterday to resolve the issue of sanctioning Opposition MP Karl Samuda for allegedly misleadig the House of Representatives.

Samuda said, point blank, that he would not apologise, because the assumption that the report which he told the House had been submitted to former Prime Minister P J Patterson, by Port Authority Chairman Noel Hylton, was the only one he could have made on the basis of the information he had.

He listed five areas on which he said that Patterson had misled Parliament on the Sandals Whitehouse issue, which he highlighted from the report in Parliament, “and to this day he cannot refute a single one”.

“I did not seek out this document (the report). I did not pay for this document. I did not set any calaban or springe (haulie) to catch anyone so that I could extract the document from them. This document was given to me by someone concerned for its content,” Samuda said, in explaining how he came by a copy of the report.

He was supported by Leader of the Opposition Bruce Golding, who said that the Opposition MPs all backed Samuda, because they had also come to similar conclusions on the issue.

Golding said that the crux of the matter was not whether Hylton had submitted the report to Patterson or not. But, whether the former prime minister was aware of the contents and did not share it with his Cabinet, or failed to act in a manner which the contents would have required of him.

“Mr Hylton couldn’t conduct an undertaking, involving overseas visits, costing the taxpayers of this country enormous sums, and simply say to Mr Patterson, ‘boy, a neva get through’, without Mr Patterson finding out from him, ‘then, how far did you reach? What did you find out?'” Golding submitted.

“We do not believe that. Mr Samuda does not believe that. We will not believe that. And if, in order to give satisfaction to the House, you must censure the entire Opposition, then recommend that to Parliament. If you are to expel or suspend the entire Opposition, recommend that to Parliament. But, we are not going to tell the people of this country that Mr Hylton could have been given this task, made substantial headway, but Mr. Patterson had no interest, did not seek to find out, did not question, did not query, saw nothing, heard nothing, wanted to know nothing. We can’t believe that.

“So if what you are seeking to extract from Mr Samuda is some withdrawal or apology, you ain’t going get it,” Golding told the committee.