Patterson asked to apologise after heckling Edghill, calling him a ‘liar’

Former Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson and Juan Edghill, who now heads the Ministry, clashed on Wednesday when the budget estimates for the Ministry came under question.

Patterson repeatedly heckled Edghill while he was offering explanations of the estimates, calling him a liar on three occasions. This prompted Minister Edghill to demand an apology from the former Minister.

The issue arose when Patterson twice called Edghill a “liar” when he spoke about the bad management and incomplete state of several projects by the APNU+AFC, including the East Coast four-lane highway and the Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue expansion project.

While Edghill was criticizing the APNU+AFC government for its management of the airport expansion project, which is also incomplete, Patterson again heckled “liar”.

“I demand an apology for him calling me a liar because I can also use the most degrading words to speak about him; so I demand an apology,” Edghill said.

Speaker Manzoor Nadir agreed and insisted that an apology is offered.

“Honourable Member you used that particular word two times before…I think you ought to offer the member and the House an apology.”

Although prompted on several occasions to apologise, Patterson would only say “I withdraw the word.”

The Speaker has put the issue to rest saying “the House will have to deal with it after.”