Golding denies being pushed during Parliament confrontation, calls for McKenzie to apologise

Opposition Leader Mark Golding is rejecting claims that he was pushed during Tuesday's confrontation between Opposition member of Parliament (MP) Mikael Phillips and Government MP Desmond McKenzie at Gordon House, while calling on McKenzie to apologise for his alleged remarks about Phillips' deceased mother.

Golding, speaking to the RJRGleaner news team on Wednesday, said he became aware of the confrontation after the sitting of the House of Representatives had ended and walked over to find out what was happening.

He said the exchange between Phillips, the MP for Manchester North Western, and McKenzie, the MP for Kingston Western, was heated but did not become physical.

"I wasn't pushed. I'm not aware of being pushed. I think I may have got nudged by the crowd as people moved through it, but there was no pushing," Golding said.

He explained that when he approached Phillips, the MP told him that McKenzie had made an offensive reference to his deceased mother, which had upset him.

Golding said he subsequently walked out of Parliament with Phillips.

The Opposition Leader described the incident as an outburst stemming from the tension surrounding the earlier parliamentary proceedings and the exchange between the two MPs.

"He's a human being and he's apologised to Jamaica for using a bad word in his response. But there was no physical altercation," Golding insisted.

Phillips on Wednesday apologised for his conduct during the confrontation, acknowledging that he had used an expletive in response to what he alleged were repeated offensive remarks by McKenzie about his deceased mother.

He also rejected claims by Deputy Leader of Government Business Robert Morgan that he had pushed Golding during the incident, maintaining that the Opposition Leader was not involved in the confrontation.

Golding said he was satisfied with Phillips' response and believed he had taken the appropriate course by publicly expressing regret.

"I think he's taken the high road by expressing regret and apologising to Jamaica for what he said," he said.

However, Golding believes McKenzie should also apologise.

"I think McKenzie should apologise for having played the role he played and said what he said. And I'd love to see some balance there," he added.

The incident has sparked criticism from the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), which has called for Phillips and Opposition MP Angela Brown Burke to face sanctions over their conduct during Tuesday's sitting and the events that followed.

Morgan had accused several Opposition members of displaying unparliamentary behaviour, singling out Phillips for allegedly moving aggressively towards McKenzie and having to be restrained by other parliamentarians.

The JLP has also disputed Phillips' account of the alleged remarks about his mother.

Golding's comments come against the background of Tuesday's heated parliamentary proceedings, during which the Opposition protested the Government's handling of a censure motion over Jamaica's decision to abstain from a United Nations resolution calling for an end to the United States economic embargo against Cuba.

The motion, tabled by Opposition MP Anthony Hylton, sought to censure the Government for failing to disclose its intention to depart from Jamaica's longstanding voting position before the UN vote on October 28.

The Opposition objected after Leader of Government Business Floyd Green moved to close the debate after only two contributions. The resulting protest disrupted proceedings, prompting House Speaker Juliet Holness to adjourn the sitting.

Golding accused the Government of using its parliamentary majority, with the Speaker's assistance, to prematurely end the debate.

He said the Opposition had stood up in protest against what it considered an improper use of parliamentary procedures.

Turning to the possibility of further political fallout from Tuesday's proceedings, including a censure motion, Golding accused the Government of attempting to divert public attention from the controversy surrounding the Cuba vote.

"Listen, we know the people we're up against. And they are entirely political animals of the MAGA strain," he said.

Golding accused the Government of trying to turn an issue he described as an embarrassment into a distraction.

"They will try whatever they can to turn something which is an embarrassment to them, which is how they've dealt with this Cuba matter, which has soiled the brand Jamaica, and tried to create a red herring out of it to distract Jamaica's attention from the real issue," he said.

He added: "They do it all the time. It's right out of the Trump playbook. And so nothing would surprise me when it comes to them."

Despite the controversy, Golding said relations between parliamentarians on both sides of the political divide are generally cordial, noting that MPs frequently interact and must maintain working relationships to serve their constituents.

He said Tuesday's confrontation was fuelled by the agitation surrounding the parliamentary proceedings and the subsequent exchange between Phillips and McKenzie.

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