Jamaican Gov't MPs Criticize PNP Rep's Remarks on House Speaker Juliet Holness

Remarks made by People's National Party (PNP) representative Nekeisha Burchell about House Speaker Juliet Holness have drawn sharp criticism from three female government parliamentarians. During an episode of the podcast "The Fix," Burchell questioned the Speaker's enforcement of parliamentary Standing Orders, suggesting her control was akin to a wife managing a husband. She stated that elected officials cannot be controlled like "school mistresses" managing children.

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The Speaker is she likes to be in control. And I mean that kind of control that perhaps you can get away with in a marriage if you want to control your husband, for example. You can’t control grown people sent to Parliament to represent their people. There is disorder and disrespect, but then there’s also control because, you know, it’s not a school mistress. That’s not a school mom with children in a basic school. We were all elected and sent there.

Senator Kamina Johnson Smith expressed surprise and called the comments "retrogressive," questioning such remarks in 2026 and emphasizing Jamaica's progress in women's leadership. Johnson Smith described Holness as an "exemplary role model" and hoped Burchell would receive guidance.

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I wondered if I read these reports correctly because I could not believe that in 2026, this is the type of comment being made by a female Member of Parliament.

Fayval Williams, Member of Parliament for St Andrew Eastern, labeled Burchell's remarks as "inappropriate, disrespectful, and downright low," adding that they were not befitting the standards expected of a parliamentarian. Cuthbert Flynn also defended women in leadership, stating they should not be characterized negatively for enforcing rules, and that asserting themselves does not make them "bullies" or "controlling."

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The country looks to Parliament for leadership. Ms Burchell’s remarks are disappointing and not befitting of the standards a parliamentarian should uphold.