Opposition Leader Mark Golding says he will not be apologizing for the comments he made regarding the appointment of Juliet Holness as Speaker of the House.

Last week during his budget debate contribution, Mr. Golding raised the issue of what he described as Jamaica’s low-trust environment.

He said having the wife of the Prime Minister as the house speaker goes against the tradition of having an independent speaker.

Following that statement, members of the governing party walked out of the house, bringing the budget debate to an abrupt halt.

Mr. Golding’s statement was later condemned by stakeholders aligned to the Jamaica Labour Party.

But speaking on ‘The Fix’ podcast this weekend, Mr. Golding said he would not apologize for the statement.

He said the walk out was bizarre and he was taken by surprise, as it has never happened before.

Meantime, Mr. Golding sought to clarify that his statement was not a critique of Mrs. Holness, but rather a critique of the arrangement which allowed her to be appointed in the role.