Warmington, Bartlett Clash Over PM's Title

A verbal clash between Constituency Development Fund chairman Everald Warmington and committee member Dr St Aubyn Bartlett, took centre stage at yesterday's meeting of the committee as the two locked horns over Bartlett's decision to strike out the word 'Most' from Prime Minister Andrew Holness' title.

The prime minister, who is member of parliament for St Andrew West Central, was seeking funds from the unit to finance a project in his constituency.

Documents submitted to the meeting by the CDF unit referred to the prime minister as Most Honourable Andrew Holness.

Bartlett struck out the word 'most', and that's when sparks flew.

"Who crossed out The Most Honourable Andrew Holness on here?" Warmington asked.

No response.

"Which one of you crossed it?" Warmington asked again.

"I did," came the reply, from Bartlett.

"You don't have the authority to cross out anything here. Why are you being so ... today Mr Bartlett? What you cross it out for?" said Warmington.

"Because he is not The Most Honourable," Bartlett said.

"What is he?" Warmington asked.

"He is The Honourable," said Bartlett.

"You determine that?" Warmington asked.

Bartlett repeated that the prime minister was The Honourable Andrew Holness.

"A prime minister, once he is there, is entitled to The Most Honourable. Parliament granted that. Your former prime minister (Bruce Golding) did not take it. He chose not to take it. So you don't dictate to the prime minister whether or not he uses the word, or we use the word 'Most Honourable'. He has never told us not to use it. He is entitled to it Mr Bartlett. Don't cross anything that come before you again," Warmington warned.

Warmington wrong

Bartlett, in a less vociferous tone, repeated that Holness was not The Most Honourable.

"The Act of Parliament provides for that Mr Bartlett!" Warmington declared.

However, Warmington, arguably one of the most knowledgeable members on parliamentary matters, was this time incorrect.

Holness who was sworn in on Sunday, has not been conferred with the Order of the Nation (ON) a protocol officer at the Office of the Prime Minister told The Gleaner yesterday. It has also been suggested that the prime minister could be called Most Honourable if he were also conferred with the Order of Merit, but the officer said she could not state that as fact, and promised to get the information.

When he became prime minister in 2007, Golding declined the ON conferment, which would have caused him to be referred to as The Most Honourable.