The leader of the main opposition People’s National Party (PNP), Mark Golding has criticized the decision of the Jamaica government to re-impose states of emergencies (SOEs) in several parishes after the authorities said murders had increased following the expiration of the emergency measure last week.
Mark Golding has reiterated the opposition’s position that the use of SOEs as a policing tool is not a sustainable path forward for Jamaica and that the opposition believes that the repeated use of SOEs is unlawful.
“It subverts the basic scheme of our Constitution, by allowing the Government to suspend the basic rights of the people in circumstances where it is not clearly justified by an immediate threat to our democratic system of government,” he said.
“The PNP is of the view that a strong security presence should be maintained in communities that are facing high levels of violence. The use of the soldiers and police in this way is permitted by our normal laws, and does not require an SOE,” Golding added.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness Tuesday told a news conference that “since the end of the last state of emergency, we have seen, unfortunately, an increase in criminal activities in these areas and indeed a threat to property and in some instances, public disorder”.
Commissioner of Police, Major General Anthony Anderson, said since the discontinuation of SOEs seven days ago, 22 murders have been committed across the island, with 17 of those killings occurring in areas where SOEs had expired in St Ann, Clarendon, St Catherine, St James, Westmoreland, Hanover and specified areas of Kingston and St Andrew.
Prime Minister Holness had declared SOEs in the seven parishes on November 15, but the opposition refused to support a move to extend the SOE to January 14, 2023.
Holness, who left here on Tuesday for Washington, where he is slated to discuss security matters with several US state agencies, said that as the Christmas season approaches, there is a need to protect life and property.
“It is important to note that we are also approaching the Christmas season. This will be the first Christmas since the ending of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) and already, we’re seeing and projecting an increase in activities including entertainment activities, including increased commercial activities and we are already seeing a demand, a stretch on the resources that we have to guarantee the citizens that they will be able to go about their business in a safe and secure manner,” Holness said.
But in his statement, Golding said “there was no consultation with the opposition prior to this decision being made; no briefing as to the specific security issues which are being relied on as justification for another rounds of SOEs.
“This clearly shows once again that the Government has no regard for the opposition. Mr Holness prefers to be wrong and strong, pressing on with his SOE policy. His behaviour indicates that he really does not want our support, no doubt believing that it is to his political advantage for the Government and Opposition to continue to be at odds over this issue.
“We do not see the use of SOEs as a policing tool as a sustainable path forward for Jamaica. Putting the majority of Jamaicans at risk of being detained for extended periods by police or soldiers without charge, is no way to address Jamaica’s longstanding challenging problem of criminal violence.”
Mark Golding said that many lives of lawful young Jamaicans have been disrupted and irreparably damaged by being held in detention without charge for long periods, “sometimes well in excess of a year, with a loss of their jobs and the stigma of being treated like common criminals.
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