Holness, Golding hopeful of fruitful consensus at Vale Royal Talks

The governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and Opposition People's National Party (PNP) are hopeful that the Vale Royal Talks will lead to fruitful consensus on national issues.

Party representatives led by their respective leaders, Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Mark Golding, met on Sunday for discussions under the framework.

The three-and-a-half-hour dialogue was hosted by the University of the West Indies around an agenda which included National Security, Constitutional Reform, Health and Jamaica 60 commemorations.

In a joint communiqué following the meeting, both leaders expressed hope for fruitful outcomes.

For his part, Holness noted that “it is important, particularly in our form of democracy, where two political parties dominate, that there is a means by which both political parties can meet and discuss issues affecting the nation.”

He was positive about the prospects of the talks contributing to greater consensus on challenging national issues.

“The talks [in the past] have been successful and have assisted in reaching an understanding, particularly on critical national issues.”

In this regard, the Prime Minister committed to ensuring their continuation.

This being the first iteration of the Vale Royal Talks since becoming PNP president Golding said, “This is something we've been asking for from as far back as my budget presentation in March 2021, and I hope the talks will be fruitful.”

He committed to approaching the Vale Royal Talks from the standpoint of “openness and good faith, with frank and open discussions.” 

He said, “It is within that context that we hope to reach a level of understanding of the approach that guides the PM's actions, and hopefully we will find common ground in moving forward to achieve a safe Jamaica.”

The dialogue was guided by the Chatham House Rule, and both sides engaged in full and frank dialogue with a shared commitment to reaching consensus, where possible, and obtaining a better understanding from which to move forward.

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