WITH 30 ‘Nos’ from the Jamaica Labour Party’ (JLP) to the Opposition People’s National Party’s (PNP) 28 ‘Ayes’, the PNP’s no confidence motion brought against Government was defeated in Parliament tonight.

The vote was tabled at 8:50, after hours of debates. The PNP had tabled the motion, in an attempt to get Prime Minister Bruce Golding to resign.

Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller started the proceedings.

“Something is rotten in the state of Jamaica,” she said, calling for Golding to resign.

She was followed by Opposition member Peter Bunting, who said Government acted to deliberately conceal their “improper activities” in order to delay the extradition of former Tivoli Gardens don Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke.

Another Opposition member, Dr Peter Phillips, said he was disappointed in the prime minister, a man who had given people hope that he represented a new and different trend in Jamaica.

Phillips said the Government, led by the prime minister, has systematically misrepresented the facts surrounding the extradition issue and the hiring of a United States (US) lobby law firm.

He said to this day the Government and the prime minister have not told the full truth.

Phillips was followed by Ronnie Thwaites and Robert Pickersgill.

Golding was the first defence on the Government side.

He said he had already apologised to the people and to Parliament, and continued to defend his actions in the extradition matter.

The Opposition’s motion called for the prime minister to be censured regarding the Manatt, Phelps and Phillips affair, which saw the ruling JLP approaching the US law firm to lobby the US government on Coke’s behalf.