KINGSTON, Jamaica— Opposition Leader Mark Golding has been threatened with sanctions inside the nation’s Parliament by two Government members over controversial statements he made on a political platform on Sunday, July 23.

Speaking in the St Andrew East Rural constituency on Sunday to introduce Patrick Peterkin as the People’s National Party (PNP) candidate for the next general election, the PNP president appeared to encourage the casting of ballots in the names of dead voters.

“We have fi mek sure seh every Comrade who voted fi the People’s National Party in 2011 and delivered the victory, if they’re still alive, dem haffi go vote fi Comrade Patrick Peterkin when the election call — and even some who not alive, yu know, if dem can deal wid it, no problem, because as dem seh a we name power, power party,” Golding said, eliciting laughter among the supporters.

He has faced backlash from a wide cross section of the society for the comments which he has since said were meant to be humorous and were taken out of context.

Portland Western MP, Daryl Vaz and the MP for St Thomas Western, James Robertson, apparently do not see the humor in Golding’s statement. On Tuesday both called for him to be censured.

In going after Golding, Vaz declared that the Opposition leader had no moral authority to speak on any matter inside the Parliament until and unless he withdrew and or apologise to the nation for the statement.

Vaz, who entered the sitting late, said he enquired of his colleagues whether Golding, who had engaged the speaker in what is now a weekly debate over the tabling of documents, had apologise for the statement.

When Golding enquired of the procedure being followed by Vaz, the government MP went at him.

“The Leader of the Opposition has no moral authority to get up in this Parliament and speak about any issue until he clarifies (and offers) an apology,” Vaz shouted.

The Opposition MP for Manchester North Western, Mikael Phillips rose on a point of order and indicated that the Opposition leader was speaking about the tabling of documents.

“What he’s discussing right now has nothing…no bearing (on the platform statement). If he (Vaz) wants to raise it he can raise it at the end (of the sitting) if he thinks that it’s a matter of national concern,” Phillips said.

However, Deputy House Speaker, Juliet Holness who was presiding, said she would allow all who wanted to speak on the matter to do so.

When Golding himself rose on a point of order, Vaz again shouted “The point of order is that yuh must apologise to the nation, that’s the point of order”.

With a government member shouting “shame” Vaz said: “I would have expected that the leader of the Opposition, based on the position that he holds, a constitutional position, the leader of a major political party, a Member of Parliament in his own right, would come in this house today, and not hide behind a statement to say is ‘joke him was making’”.

Vaz said Golding “should have the decency and the respect to get up and clarify himself and if he needs to apologise; apologise”.

At one stage Phillips accused the Speaker of allowing the House to descend into a circus to which she strongly objected.

When he spoke, Robertson said: “It has been reported widely that a constitutionally-recognised member of this house has made comments that we believe on this side will at a later date, a later time, may give reason for us to raise a censure motion. We believe the comment goes far against our constitution (and) our laws and I believe at this point the decent thing to do is for me to call on him to make an apology and to withdraw those comments”.

Continuing, Robertson said: “In this House I believe that he has to be more responsible on his platforms. We don’t want to see our country taken back to the days where our electoral process is suspected”.

“I do believe that his attitude in here is wrong and the comments that I have heard, but I will not repeat, I will wait on that (censure) motion at a later time to deal with it because I believe he needs to be a lot more responsible on his platforms,” Robertson added.

While Golding did not address the matter, he was stoutly defended by Phillips and the MP for St Andrew South Western, Dr Angela Brown-Burke.