WATCH | ‘Opposition’s commitment to Jamaica is in question’: Holness decries Senate blocking of SOEs extension
/ Our Today
administratorPrime Minister Andrew Holness has reacted with clear disgust at news today (November 25) that Opposition senators have blocked attempts to secure an extension to the current states of emergency (SOEs) in seven parishes.
The SOEs are set to come to an end on November 29, but the Government had been seeking to have them extended until January 14, which would have seen them running through the Christmas and New Year holiday period during which there have been concerns about a potential spike in crime.
“I am not surprised. The Opposition had given signs indicating that, regardless of whatever convincing arguments that we would provide, they would not support the SOE,” Holness said.
Stressing that there was an untrue narrative being spun that the SOEs were struck down as unconstitutional by the courts, the prime minister added: “The tool is lawful and it is effective. Nothing else should really matter other than those two critical points.”
“Do we have an Opposition that really and truly has the interest of Jamaica at heart, or is it the case that their interest is to see the crime monster get out of control for them to reap the political benefit? These are valid questions that the Jamaican people must ask.”
Prime Minister Andrew Holness
Holness however acknowledged that concerns about consultations and whether regulations were received in time were not issues that the Government would dismiss, though he added that the claims being made around them “are not entirely true”.
He said: “Certainly one would have to take the position that, if the measure saves lives, if the measure is going to keep Jamaicans safe, if the measure improves security, if the measures gives strategic and additional resources to our police force to carry out their work, then all the other issues are secondary indeed to that.”
He added: “I have to now be thinking in my mind, do we have an Opposition that will cooperate to conquer this crime problem that we have? Do we have an Opposition that really and truly has the interest of Jamaica at heart, or is it the case that their interest is to see the crime monster get out of control for them to reap the political benefit? These are valid questions that the Jamaican people must ask. Where is the interest of the Opposition? Is it in saving the lives of the people? I think today the Opposition’s commitment to Jamaica is in question.”
READ: SOEs to end as Opposition votes against extension of measure
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