MEMBER of Parliament for St Catherine South Eastern Robert Miller has accused those who have questioned the integrity of Prime Minister Andrew Holness in recent times of being classists who will never accept a leader who hails from humble beginnings.

Miller used the first segment of his contribution to the State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday to defend the character and achievements of Holness, who he said he has known since childhood. He also said he found offensive the attempts to tarnish the prime minister’s image.

“I know there are elements of Jamaican society, including those connected to the Opposition, who to this day cannot stomach the fact or accept that a boy who came from a poor background and grew up in a board house in Spanish Town, St Catherine, has risen to occupy one of the highest offices in the land and has been serving his country with distinction.

“I know there are classist elements in Jamaican society who will never accept Andrew Holness’ leadership and his rise, merely because he is not from the upper echelons of Jamaican society and, therefore, they will forever attempt to denigrate his achievements and cast false aspersions on his character, even where it is clear there is no basis to so do,” he said.

He stressed that he takes personal offence the way the prime minister is being beaten on “because, as you know, I know the struggles faced by Andrew Holness and the hard, fair, and honest work and dedication he has put in to overcome difficult circumstances.

“I have known our prime minister from he was a boy. We attended the same school — Spanish Town Primary. He went on to St Catherine High, I went to the best, Bridgeport High, we attend the same church — Spanish Town Seventh-day Adventist. From we used to run around playing in the school yard or take the bus and discuss our plans for the future, I would visit the board house he grew up in Spanish Town and we used to talk about our commitment to work hard and fairly to take ourselves out of poverty and to contribute to building our country in such a way that gives our fellow Jamaicans, who face similar circumstances, the opportunity to make better for themselves,” he said.

“The person I knew then has escalated his passion and zeal to make this country a first-class country and has a desire to move Jamaicans from poverty to prosperity because he cares,” Miller said, noting that he is proud Holness has done exactly as he said he would have.

“I am confident that no effort to bring down Andrew Michael Holness — who is a man of integrity, who has worked hard to be where he is in life, both as a businessman, a self-made man, and prime minister of Jamaica — will succeed,” he said.

Miller further noted that the prime minister has worked hard to improve himself and his family, and for the past eight years has been leading Jamaica with distinction.

“Despite multiple globally impactful challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Europe, it is a testament to the resilience and skill of Prime Minister Holness that the Government of Jamaica has, over the past few years, recorded the lowest unemployment rate ever; seen a decline in poverty; been able to twice cut the income tax burden on Jamaica; more than doubled the minimum wage, giving poor people a chance to make better for themselves; and consistently expanded and increased allocations to the PATH [Programme of Advancement through Health and Education] which, as we know, is a programme which supports society’s most vulnerable,” he said.

He encouraged the Jamaican people to take note of these developments made possible via Holness’ leadership and ensure that when the time comes there is continuity concerning which political institution has charge of the nation’s affairs.

The constituency of St Catherine South Eastern, he said, “strongly stands beside my prime minister and leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, Andrew Michael Holness”.

Holness has been facing heavy backlash in relation to the Integrity Commission (IC) report into his financial affairs.

The investigation sought to ascertain whether Holness owned assets disproportionate to his lawful earnings, and if he had in fact made false statements in his statutory declarations by way of omissions, contrary to law.

The tabling of the investigation report, an addendum, the commission’s ruling, and the special report marked the culmination of a two-year investigation during which the prime minister’s statutory declarations remained uncertified.

Two Mondays ago, attorneys representing Holness, in petitioning the Supreme Court to review the legality of the actions of the Integrity Commission during its probe of his statutory declarations, argued in an affidavit that the reports of the entity, which have been made public, “are tainted and ought to be struck down”.

The affidavit also said that the commission and its director of investigation overstepped their powers and acted “illegally and unfairly” in recommending that Holness be investigated for “illicit enrichment”.