Opposition leader slams PM for NHT comments
TRELAWNY, Jamaica — Opposition leader, Mark Golding, has accused Prime Minister Andrew Holness of sending confusing signals about the National Housing Trust (NHT) in declaring that it is not a charity organisation but a financial institution.
Golding argued that the impression some people are getting from the prime minister’s declaration, is that the NHT will no longer be providing loans to its contributors.
“He has created pure confusion in his remarks about the housing trust. What is he really saying in his remarks about the housing trust? The impression he has given people is that the housing trust is no longer going to make loans but is going to provide interest rate subsidies to private sector institutions like the banks,” Golding argued.
The Opposition spokesman was ostensibly reacting to Holness’ comments while addressing the recent groundbreaking ceremony for the Union Acres Housing Development in Irwin, St James.
“The NHT is first and foremost a financial institution to support the development of housing in Jamaica. There is an illogical thinking amongst our people where it believed that if we run our business as a charitable organisation, almost, that we will have the resources to be charitable. I want that point to sink in,” the Prime Minister stated at the time.
READ: NHT not a charity- Prime minister says trust cannot operate like a welfare institution
But Golding underscored that the housing trust was established by former Prime Minister Michael Manley with a mandate to provide housing solutions for the working masses.
“We know that the Housing Trust was built by Michael Joshua Manley for the workers of this country to give them the opportunity to own homes,” Golding stated.
“And that has been its focus and that is what it is there for. It cannot be treated like any old financial institution. It has a development objective and mandate by law.”
He argued that the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) stands ready to defend the initial NHT.
“The People’s National Party will stand up to protect the National Housing Trust because it is a great institution built out of progressive thinking, it is as institution of social engineering and thousands and thousands and thousands of Jamaican families have benefitted because of that great institution which was implemented under the leadership of Michael Manley,” Golding said.
He was addressing the South Trelawny PNP combined divisional meeting at the Cedric Titus High School in Clark’s Town,Trelawny, Saturday night.
Four of the party’s councillor candidates were presented at the meeting. They are Lloyd Gillings, Joel Barrett, Mark Mundy and Simone Guy.
Golding is not the first PNP official to respond to Holness’ comments.
Just last Tuesday, Opposition Spokesman on Transport, Works and Housing, Mikael Phillips, said the Prime Minister’s words were not only insulting to Jamaican workers and their trade unions, but was an unwarranted and unfortunate remark, especially during Workers’ Week.
READ: Phillips says PM’s NHT statement an ‘insult’ to workers, trade unions