‘Power will never drunk me’

Opposition Leader Mark Golding has responded to Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, rejecting assertions that he is power hungry as the race for Jamaica House heats up.

“We’re not seeking power for power sake. Power will never drunk me because me nuh run down power. Power is a tool to uplift the people of this country,and it must be put in the hands of somebody who can be trusted to use it responsibly; not to abuse your rights, not to rip off people,” Golding said to rousing applause from supporters.

He was speaking at a People’s National Party (PNP) parish meeting in St Elizabeth when he made the statement.

It comes days after Holness told Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supporters at a party gospel meeting in Old Harbour, St Catherine, that some people were drunk on power.

Holness tapped the microphone as he made the statement, mimicking Golding, who, in apparent frustration with a malfunctioning microphone, uttered an indecent word while at a PNP meeting in St Ann days before.

“There are things that I will readily admit that it is not in my control and politics. It is like liquor. When you drink too much of it, you get drunk, and people get drunk on power, but even the fumes of power can get you drunk. Some people have gotten drunk on just the fumes of power,” said Holness as he repeatedly tapped the microphone.

However, Golding suggested that it was the prime minister who was drunk on power, arguing that the PNP has had to be standing up for Jamaicans “in so many ways”.

Golding pointed to the Government’s repeated use of states of public emergency (SOE) as a crime-fighting tool, which the country’s courts have deemed unconstitutional.

He said the Holness-led administration abused the use of SOEs and that young Jamaican men suffered as a result.

Further, Golding said that it was under his leadership at the Ministry of Justice during the Simpson Miller administration that the use of small quantities of marijuana was decriminalised.

He said a regime was also created at that time for the medicinal and therapeutic use of the plant.

He said after the PNP lost the 2016 General Election, the progress made in this regard stalled and amounted to a waste of an opportunity.

The PNP president declared that it would be a new day for marijuana farmers in Jamaica if the party formed Government.

“We intend to complete our mission of liberation and upliftment and using the ganja for the benefit of the whole world,” said Golding.

“Our platform is built on addressing the real issues affecting the Jamaican people. We realise that our educational advancement is being undermined because so many of our people are not attending school five days a week,” he said.

He pointed to the party’s EASE (Ensuring Adequate Sustenance for Education) programme and RIDE (Rural Initiative for Delivering Education) plan, which he said are designed to assist needy children in schools with a meal and transportation costs.

He said the latter plan is expected to cover 20,000 students.

“So, yes, we want a bus system. We want safe buses. We want reliable buses, but buses alone can’t do it because we know the terrain of Jamaica where it’s up and down. Nuff bad roads so we have to have a proper plan that can reach each and every one. That is what the PNP plan will do because we want to make Jamaica move forward, and all our children must have the opportunity,” said Golding.

He pointed to the party’s first-in-family plan, where it is proposing to give someone who is the first in the family to attend university a full scholarship.

He further reiterated the party’s plans for housing, agriculture, and the creative industry, noting that they would drive economic development.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com