Prime Minister Andrew Holness said he welcomes cooperation from the Leader of the Opposition, Mark Golding, in the country’s continued fight against crime.

The opposition leader has pledged his cooperation to the government following Sunday’s mass shooting incident in Cherry Tree Lane in Four Paths, Clarendon, which claimed the lives of eight people and injured nine others.

“There have been several instances of multiple killings in Clarendon in recent years, with this one being the most egregious. I stand ready to cooperate with the government to achieve bipartisan action to come to grips with this utterly untenable situation,” said Golding.

Holness, in response to the opposition leader’s comments, said that while he is happy that the opposition is pledging its support, cooperation is needed on the legislative agenda.

There has been a face-off between the government and the opposition surrounding the use of states of public emergency (SOE), with the opposition arguing that the effects of SOEs are being diluted by their repeated use.

However, Holness said: “What Jamaica needs now is genuine partnership — not strategic partnerships for political advantage, but genuine advantage. I keep making the case that in 2017 when murders were rising, the opposition genuinely supported the government in the use of SOEs; in other words, the government could not extend the SOE beyond 14 days without the opposition voting for it. Policies change, the opposition changed their position and did not support the SOEs, so it took away that tool from the government.”

He said the Jamaican constitution gives the opposition the power to support or not support the extension of SOEs.

“The conversation continues, I will always welcome whenever the leader of the opposition says that they are willing to cooperate, so we will take them up on the offer and see what is possible, but of course, it is not just the leader of the opposition, it’s all sectors of the society…,” Holness said.