Golding fumes
Published:Friday | April 1, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Prime minister turns back on Knight after blistering accusations
Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer
On another day of blistering crosstalk and biting accusations at the Manatt-Dudus commission of enquiry, a bristling Bruce Golding refused to respond to attorney K.D. Knight late in the afternoon, even as the People's National Party lawyer demanded that the prime minister be hauled before the Half-Way Tree Court over his unwillingness to divulge who paid legal fees to United States law firm, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.
It was also a day when Golding assailed the motive behind Knight's participation at the enquiry.
Golding launched his assault when Knight asked him whether he had any remorse in having Christopher 'Dudus' Coke extradited.
In another of the frequent vitriolic exchanges that have marred the proceedings, Golding scoffed at Knight's suggestion that he was participating in the process to ferret out the truth in relation to Government's handling of the Coke extradition request.
"You are here with an agenda which is not in harmony with the objectives of the commission of enquiry," Golding told Knight, the attorney for the People's National Party.
'Pathologically mendacious'
Later, Knight characterised Golding as a "pathologically mendacious person".
"You have a pathological condition when it comes to telling the truth, and I am suggesting to you that you have misled, you have conspired and you have deceived the Parliament, the people of this country and the enquiry, this commission and the diaspora and every Jamaican and that you, Mr Prime Minister, should pack your bags and go," he said.
Clearly fuming, Golding told commission Chairman Emil George that he would no longer answer questions from Knight.
"I am not prepared to answer any further questions from Mr Knight and I am prepared for any consequence," declared Golding.
But Knight scoffed, saying Golding was full of "big talk" and that the prime minister had seen him turn off his microphone and knew he had already ended his cross-examination.
Earlier Knight accused Golding of withholding information from the commission in regard to who donated the funds the Jamaica Labour Party used to pay Manatt.
Small, however, objected, complaining that the question was improper.
But Knight disagreed.
"This witness withheld information about who pays. That is an issue."
Withheld information
Knight argued Golding had withheld information that could have benefited the commission.
"I have answered that question before," said Golding. "There has to be a limit to the repetition that we are subjected to."
George instructed the prime minister to respond, but Golding maintained that he had answered the question before.
"I am asking you to invoke your powers that will allow him to end up at Half-Way Tree Court," Knight told the chairman.
"Let him join company," he added in clear reference to attorney Harold Brady.
This elicited thunderous laughter from the usually stoic Golding.
The prime minister disagreed with Knight that the actions of his administration constituted poor judgement.
Knight: "Would you do it again under the same circumstances?"
Golding: "It is a hypothetical question. I can't answer it."
It was at this point that Golding's attorney, Hugh Small, intervened arguing that his client should not be asked such a hypothetical question.
"I am not going to answer that kind of hypothetical question. If you ask 500 times, I am not going to answer it," Golding said.