NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Members of the Upper and Lower House stand at attention as Governor-General Sir Howard Cooke makes his exit from Gordon House, Duke Street on Thursday.
Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter
THE CEREMONIAL opening of Parliament was on Thursday marked with the usual red carpet grandeur and fanfare.
It, however, was also used by political supporters to promote two contenders for the West Kingston seat, Bruce Golding of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), and People's National Party (PNP) representative, Bunny Witter.
Those who came out to see the opening of the 2005/06 legislative years were not disappointed. Decked out in their best attire, parliamentarians left many awed.
Female parliamentarians were dressed in an array of outfits and fashionable hats.
People's National Party supporters could be seen bracing against the barriers at the bottom of Duke Street near the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) building from well before the scheduled start of the ceremony. Dressed in their orange shirts emblazoned with pictures of Bunny Witter they shouted, "Don't stop the progress" and "Mark the Head on April 13."
The support for the JLP was very small in the morning but at the end of the more than two-hour session, the numbers had grown. They could be seen wearing their green shirts with Bruce Golding pictures on the front. They cheered when Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Kenneth Baugh and other JLP Members of Parliament departed.
INCIDENT-FREE
The ceremonial opening was incident-free.
At 10:42 a.m., Dr. Kenneth Baugh led the JLP parliament-arians from the top of Duke Street. But noticeably absent was JLP Leader Bruce Golding, who earlier this month resigned from the Senate in preparation for the upcoming by-election.
Flanked by his parliamentarians, Prime Minister P. J. Patterson marched from the bottom of Duke Street minutes after.
Governor-General, Sir Howard Cooke, arrived at 10:55 a.m. and was met by Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Chief of Staff, Rear Admiral Lewin. Sir Howard then inspected the guard of honour formed by the Second Battalion of The Jamaica Regiment.
