Holness hits back!
PRIME Minister Andrew Holness yesterday fired back at the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) which has stepped up its pressure on the Government and suggested that he has been silent on issues affecting his ministers.
Holness, who was speaking at last night’s presentation of caretaker Robert Miller to the St Catherine South Eastern constituency at Southborough Primary School in Portmore, said there was no need for Jamaicans to panic.
The Government has been dogged by allegations of nepotism and inefficiency at Petrojam and other agencies under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Energy, and agencies led by then Cabinet minister Andrew Wheatley.
Just last week former Security Minister Robert Montague went on the defensive with regard to a gun licence which was granted while he was security minister. And just this past weekend Cabinet minister Daryl Vaz charged that there has been political mischief after he was accused of breaching airport security.
“The captain of the ship must know what is going to happen next. All you see them (PNP) a talk is only one man hold the next card. All you hear them a talk, I still have a full hand, and they don’t know the card I’m about to play,” said Holness, leader of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
“If you live in a glass house you don’t throw stones,” said Holness, who told supporters that they should look out for the next move.
“This Government doesn’t do knee-jerk [reactions]. This Government is not going to be pulled by every cry, every critisicm, and every bad-mouthing. This Government is going to take its time to analyse the problems, study the facts, and come up with long-term institutionalised solutions that will bring the prosperity you deserve.
“So, all you hear them a run up them mouth and a talk, this Government has sat down and calculated its response, and all the responses have yielded success,” he said, adding that there are two sets of people — those who can bring results and those who have been trying for 22 years,” said Holness, a criticism of the PNP’s time in office since 1989.
He told cheering Labourites that he was looking at the renewal and the rebuilding of the JLP for the next election; however, he did not go into details.
At the same time, Holness boasted about the widescale developments of roads across the country as part of his Administration’s success.
In commending Miller for his decision to enter representational politics, Holness said the JLP was attracting the brightest and best the county has produced to serve the country.
Miller served as his advisor during his term as education minister in the Bruce Golding-led Government.
The prime minister said the JLP, which now holds 33 of the 63 seats in the House, would be targeting “every single seat”, going into the next parliamentary election, due by 2021.
At the same, he said PNP supporters also want to enjoy prosperity — the push of the JLP.
“No bother believe say them nah sit dung over fi dem side and say, ‘But wait, how the Labourites doing it so good. Why our people cyaah do it so goods’. So the Labour party is not only just for Labourites; come on board and join us for prosperity,” he said, adding that he will not allow bad mind people to disrupt the Government’s agenda.
He said whatever he’s doing he must come and report to the people to ensure that the authority that is given to him by the people is not abused.