Still in the Senate, Opposition Senator, Robert Montague, was today called an ‘idiot’ by Foreign Affairs Minister, A.J. Nicholson.
Senator Nicholson – who’s leader of Government business in the Senate – made the sotto voce comment after he was being pressed to answer questions by Senator Montaque on Jamaica’s foreign policy and how the government will deal with terrorist organizations.
Having delivered a statement to the Senate on his recent participation at the United Nations General Assembly, Minister Nicholson was asked whether Jamaica would negotiate with terrorists, if a citizen is captured by the Islamic militant group, I.S., also called ISIS and ISIL.
Senator Robert Montaque.
Minister Nicholson did not answer the question, saying he did not know what to respond to.
He argued the question did not arise from the statement he gave.
A perturbed Minister Nicholson asked under his breath: “What you want us to do, send the JDF?”
It’s at that point that he labelled Mr. Montaque an idiot.
The Senate President, Floyd Morris, intervened and told Mr. Nicholson to apologize.
Floyd Morris, President of the Senate.
Jamaica co-sponsored an anti ISIS resolution at the UN assembly in September.
Among other things, the resolution puts a responsibility on member states to stop their citizens from leaving their homelands to join ISIS and other militant groups based in the Middle East.
And, to block them from returning to threaten their native countries using passports already granted.
The Senate President had also told Mr. Montaque he’d not allow him to make any grandstanding in the Upper House.
This, as Mr. Montague also sought to find out whether Minister Nicholson, while at the UN, discussed the issue of Jamaicans being denied entry to Trinidad and Tobago, with representatives of that country.
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