THE derision faced by People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding over the outfit he wore to the Grand Gala at the National Stadium on August 6 has provided an opening for the party to further court security guards.

Several supporters of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) shared memes of Golding in the yellow suit, likening it to the uniform of guards at a popular security company.

But at a Region Three rally in Cross Roads, St Andrew, on Saturday senior members of the PNP embraced the suit worn by Golding and claimed that the JLP will pay a price at the polls on September 3 because of its continued “disrespect” of various segments of the population, including taxi operators and public sector employees.

Speaker after speaker described Golding as their security guard as thousands of orange-clad Comrades blew horns, waved flags and shouted.

PNP spokesman on national security and its standard-bearer in Manchester Southern, Peter Bunting addressed the matter frontally as he charged that the JLP wants this election to be about superficial issues.

“They want you to select the next prime minister based on the colour of his skin rather than on the content of his character. They want to distract and trivialise the issues with their silly speakers who’re trying to throw shade by comparing our leader with a ‘sicki’, with a security guard.

“What they don’t realise is that the character of this man is such that he welcomes any opportunity to be associated with proud, hard-working occupations, whose members earn an honest bread,” said Bunting.

“I don’t know what security guards do the JLP because we heard, when Horace Chang was trying to insult the police, him call dem ‘glorified security guards’. So inna that one statement him a insult both police and security guard,” Bunting continued.

“But Markie G don’t mind being called a security guard. In fact, him love security guard so much that him going to ensure that their overtime payment is free of tax,” added Bunting as he issued a warning to the governing party.

“So JLP, yuh gwaan insult security guards but one thing I a tell yuh, those 30,000 ‘sicki’ can vote, and they’re going to vote an sen yuh home,” declared Bunting.

In its recently released manifesto the PNP has promised not to tax overtime payments for people working $6 million and under if it is returned to office after the September 3 polls.

There was some initial confusion in the public space as to whether it applied to only public sector employees, however on Saturday night Golding said all workers will benefit.

In recent weeks the JLP has had to resort to damage control after a senior member called taxi operators evil and suggested they prey upon young girls.

In addition, some public sector groups have suggested that the zero per cent offer in the first year of wage negotiations with the Government is an insult.

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PNP President Mark Golding and his wife Sandra on stage at the party’s parish rally in Cross Roads, St Andrew, on Saturday. (Naphtali Junior)