PRIME Minister Bruce Golding has been going through a battering by his critics since he took over as this nation’s eighth political leader in September 2007.

From claims ranging from how the economy is being managed, to his alleged association with former fugitive Christopher “Dudus” Coke, Golding has had his neck placed on the chopping block on countless occasions, only to wiggle his way out of tough situations most times.

His family usually becomes concerned when the going gets tough for the prime minister, but one member has got so used to the utterances of his critics, that such comments hardly bother her anymore.

“In some way I have become immune to it, because I grew up in politics,” Golding’s younger daughter Ann-Merita told the Sunday Observer during her recent stay here.

Ann-Merita, who is reading for her doctorate in Audiology from the Nova Southeastern University in the United States, said that she had moved from a position in which criticism of her father would affect her, to a more rock-hard state.

“From I was born the bashing has been going on. I would be in the nail salon or the hairdresser and hear people talking about him negatively, not knowing that we are related.

“It has no effect on me now. When it has an effect on me is when people say, ‘your father’ not Bruce the Prime Minister. When you take it to a personal level … and I had a falling-out with somebody recently, an acquaintance because during the thing in West Kingston they twitted something on Twitter, not about my father, but about Ann-Merita, Bruce’s daughter, and I have nothing to do with politics.

“At the end of the day, daddy is daddy and I remember when the ‘ruption’ started I was overseas but I said to my dad ‘at the end of the day, just promise me that I will still have my daddy’, because I was very worried.

“Not being here I didn’t know if he was in any direct danger. I was just hearing what everybody else was hearing through the media. But my father has always managed to, even in times of crisis, put on his Superman cape in my presence and act, even if it’s not okay he will tell you don’t worry about me, man, I am fine. And I am looking at him and saying ‘you can’t be okay, you’re human’. He will always say ‘don’t worry about me’.

“It doesn’t hurt when they criticise him. What hurts me is to see how hard my father works, to see how dedicated he is to his beliefs, and to the cause and to see people almost want to nail him to a cross. He has always had to make so many sacrifices, even where my family is concerned, to put this country before all of that, and to know that he has great intentions, to know that he’s worked so hard every day, from he got into office, even before, he’s worked so hard and I am not saying that because he is my father.

“I say that because I see it day in and day out. He works so hard and to have people being so unappreciative and to paint him in a negative light, that is hurtful for me because I know that must affect him in some way,” the young Golding said.

Describing the prime minister on countless occasions during the interview at Vale Royal as her ‘Superman’, Ann-Merita underlined the value of his influence on her.

“My father is my Superman, and I say that because he loves his family. I always think that my dad and I have a little love affair going on because he has a love for his family that I have never seen in any other family before.

“We are very close. We live very loving. Daddy will come home and I’ll be in my room and he would jump in the bed while I am getting ready to go out and just talk to me. Or he would lie on the bed and we’ll chat until one of us falls asleep on this little twin bed and I either get up and he gets up and goes to his room,” Ann-Merita said.

Perhaps a little perturbed that Prime Minister Golding does not get the recognition that she thinks he deserves, Ann-Merita nonetheless continues to sing his praises and knows that her father means well for Jamaica.

“He is a man of integrity. He has a love for this country that I don’t even understand, given all that he has had to face over the years. He does not have one ill-intended bone in his body. He is a hard worker, I see him work 20 hours a day on three-and-a-half hours sleep and little food. He is the hardest-working man and I would definitely consider him to be the brightest and smartest man I know. Daddy can do no wrong in my eyes.

“Daddy and I are close, it might be a December connection, I don’t know. I’d like to think that my personality is very similar to his. He is a little bit more impatient than me, but he is my safe haven … my comfort zone,” she said.

The December connect that she spoke about is the closeness of their birthdays; he born on December 5 and she on December 12, the same date as Golding’s main political rival, Portia Simpson Miller.

But her father is always there for her and she continues to wallow in the confidence that his support for her will never wane.

“My father has never let me down. Even when I am afraid to ask him to help me with something and I say ‘Daddy are you sure? He would say, have I ever let you down before?’ and I can hold him to that.”

And where does her mother, Lorna, come in all of this?

Lorna, who is putting the finishing touches on her first degree in early childhood education from the Mico University College, is the sister of Labour and Social Security minister Pearnel Charles, and veteran lawyer Wentworth “Rocky” Charles.

She serves as the balancing act in an inspirational family circus that has kept the Goldings well glued and handily placed to display the members as a family of shining examples.

“My mother keeps me grounded, but she keeps my head out of the clouds,” Ann-Merita said.

“Just when you think that you are just getting ahead of yourself, there is Mummy to just catch you back and bring you right back down to earth.

“She is a tough cookie, but we still have our similarities because the same things that make us similar are the same things that allow us to knock heads at times, ie our independence, our strong will and strength of character. My mother has a good, strong character and so do I and I see that in relationships that I have with other people,” she said.