The high stakes leadership debate between Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, and People’s National Party (PNP) President, Opposition Leader Mark Golding, kicked off Thursday night with a question over the JLP government’s alleged pattern of undermining oversight bodies in the public sector and civil society.

Holness, responding to the question posed by veteran journalist Dionne Jackson-Miller, denied that his administration has done any such thing.

“There’s absolutely no attempt by my administration and indeed, myself, to undermine any oversight body,” the prime minister declared.

He said his government has instead strengthened such bodies, including the Integrity Commission (IC), which he said he has been very complementary and “acted” in a very “dignified” way.

He explained that placing the Office of the Political Ombudsman under the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) is another example of a move to strengthen an oversight body and give it far more institutional framework.

In response, Golding accused the JLP of creating a pattern of hostility towards oversight bodies, such as the Integrity Commission.

He further accused the JLP of doing this because there are some parliamentarians under probe for illicit enrichment.

The Opposition leader further lambasted the JLP-led government for allegedly attempting to mute the Integrity Commission, pointing to the prime minister taking the commission to court over a report it submitted to Parliament last year over the prime minister’s finances.

Holness and Golding are facing questions from journalists Jackson-Miller of the RJRGLEANER Communications Group and Giovanni Dennis of CVM Television, as well as queries submitted by the public via social media.

The discussion is being moderated by Archibald Gordon of TVJ, with Amoy Harriott of CVM TV serving as social media editor.