FORMER security minister and member of Parliament for East Central St Andrew, Dr Peter Phillips has accused members of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) of endangering the lives of his family and himself.

The MP, who made the charge during Tuesday’s heated debate on two Bills brought by the Government to Parliament to postpone local government elections until 2012, was being heckled by members of the government benches with shouts of “sell-out and Manatt, Manatt, Manatt”.

The allegations of “sell-out” was in reference to Phillips’ role in blowing the whistle on the Government’s dealing with the US law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips which was approached to assist in lobbying the American Government in the extradition request for former Tivioli Gardens strongman Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke.

Phillips was also criticised by the Government MPs for the signing of Memoranda of Understanding in 2004 to give local and foreign law enforcement agencies the right to intercept all landline and cellphone conversations on Cable and Wireless (now LIME) and Digicel switches, in an effort to gather intelligence in the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime.

“I have served this country better than any of you have. How dare you question my service and loyalty!” Dr Phillips said.

It was, however the muttering of words to the effect that Dr Phillips

was a “CIA informant” from the Government benches that sparked even more outrage from the Opposition. House Speaker Delroy Chuck tried without success to locate the individual who uttered the statement which was not captured by the Parliament’s official Hansard reporters.

An incensed People’s National Party Leader Portia Simpson Miller, rising to the defence of Dr Phillips, decried the use of parliamentary privilege by MPs to “destroy each others’ reputation and impute motives concerning their integrity”. She further challenged the individual to repeat the accusation outside the Parliament (which would be grounds for a lawsuit).

No “evidence” was however “found to support that the statement was made,” House Leader Andrew Holness insisted urging the House Speaker to rule that the debate continue.

“I do not appreciate people who will put my life at risk and the life of my family; they are out of order and I will not put up with it. Let them come (government members) I can deal with all of them,” Dr Phillips thundered in defending himself.