‘Assault on Democracy’: PNP claims ‘unmistakable’ autocratic pattern within Holness admin
/ Our Today
administrator
Dr Dayton Campbell, the general Secretary of the People’s National Party (PNP), is claiming that recent actions by Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government expose a “deliberate and accelerating drift towards autocracy”.
“The mask has fully slipped. The JLP leadership’s rhetoric and conduct are no longer ambiguous; they reveal a dangerous contempt for Jamaica’s democratic foundations.
“When a Deputy Leader declares the party will ‘never surrender Jamaica’—framing the Opposition not as a legitimate competitor but as an existential enemy—it signals an intent for permanent rule, not democratic governance,” Campbell said.
Campbell highlighted the prime minister’s assertion that the JLP “doesn’t need the Opposition” for accountability.
“This dismisses Parliament’s constitutional role and the very principle of checks and balances. It’s the language of a leader who believes his mandate absolves him of scrutiny—a hallmark of authoritarianism,” Campbell added.
“The PNP will relentlessly challenge this autocratic trajectory using every constitutional means,” Campbell declared. “We urge civil society, the media, and every Jamaican committed to fairness and accountability to recognise this clear and present danger. The Holness cabinet’s actions are an assault on the pillars of our free society. Jamaica’s democracy must be defended.”
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