Dr Peter Phillips would have a drink with Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, or even face him in a round of dominoes if he so desires, if only to demonstrate that he has nothing against the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party.

But the minister of finance and the public service would not back down from his stance that all politicians, moreso one who is as highly positioned like Holness, should stand up to public scrutiny.

There has been mixed views regarding the matter of Phillips posing questions at Holness in respect of the Opposition Leader’s purchase of land in Beverly Hills, St Andrew, upon which he has been leading the construction of an elaborate dwelling house.

Phillips stepped up the pressure last week by posing a list of questions at Holness, some of which the JLP top man answered in mid-week.

But the veteran legislator and political scientist Phillips said that he would not sacrifice his principles in the search for truth and transparency.

“I have nothing against Mr Holness personally but I do believe that the country needs to be assured of the integrity, sincerity, and truthfulness of his leadership,” Phillips told the Jamaica Observer in an interview on Friday.

“I don’t care how he lives. I believe that in asking somebody such questions when there are obvious issues, is a public matter … it’s public information. The truth is that in this country there is deep suspicion and cynicism about politicians generally, and about the whole process of governance in particular. It’s not good and it’s getting worse,” Phillips stated.

Underlining that he was not casting aspersions on the intergity of Holness, Phillips argued that it ought to be a straightforward procedure for certain basic questions to be asked of anyone who aspires to sit in the most prestigious chair in the land, adding that past leaders over the years, in both the Jamaica Labour Party and the People’s National Party, were men who were held in high esteem for their honesty.

“We have people like former Prime Ministers Donald Sangster, who was a simple man; Hugh Shearer, who was modest in many ways, and others alive and dead.

“(Former PNP President and Premier) Norman Manley started out life in service, and I am not recommending it … as a wealthy man, and ended up without any wealth.

“I am not saying that a country must always demand the kind of sacrifice such as that given by Norman Manley or what (former Prime Minister) Michael Manley in his own way gave. But I am saying a country needs to be assured, and I think that those are legitimate questions when there is reason to prompt.”

Phillips told the Sunday Observer that questions about Holness’ house began in the JLP top man’s own party.

“People should remember that I was not the first person to ask these questions. They were asked within the Labour Party. They were the first set of people who began circulating these things about Mr Holness’ property on social media, not me.”

The minister of finance and the public service, and PNP candidate for St Andrew East Central, said that the last time both spoke was at the National Prayer Breakfast held in late January, and there was no element of insincerity on his part.

“I must say that everybody has to have his own code of values. I certainly have had great hope that the generation of young people really represents the basic receptacle of idealism in any country.

“The phase of youth is when you are idealist and what I see quite frankly in the examples that some of our young politicians show, and specifically in this instance, is not the same code of values that motivated even people who have been my political opponents, like Edward Seaga, who came and devoted his life in his own way to both the study and the service, or Norman Manley, for example, who as he put it, put down the private bar to enter on the case of his people.

“People need inspiration from a code of values. Yes, everybody can have ambition to live in a grand place… nothing wrong with that. But what is the code of values? What are we bequeathing when there is this suspicion? What are we saying.

“That concerns me but everybody must make their own choices, and the people must judge whether answers given are sincere, or credible or not. I have my own views,” Phillips stated.