Holness, Phillips meet
GOVERNMENT and Opposition representatives have agreed to meet next Monday to discuss national security and crime management issues, as time ran out yesterday on the first of three states of public emergencies (SOEs) threatened by the breakdown of bipartisan agreement on their extension.
A brief statement from Jamaica House, yesterday, stated that Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Leader of the Opposition Dr Peter Phillips met in the afternoon for private discussions at Vale Royal, St Andrew.
“Both leaders held full, frank and confidential discussions on security and crime management in Jamaica. They agreed that a meeting of teams from the Government and Opposition will take place next Monday, January 7, 2019,” the statement said.
It added that they also agreed that at Monday’s meeting a date would be determined for a meeting with other stakeholders.
The SOE in the St Catherine North Police Division, which was extended for three months under the Emergency Powers (No 2) (Continuance) (No 3) Resolution, 2018, from October 3 to January 2, 2019, last night became the first ‘victim’ of the Opposition’s decision to withdraw support for further extensions of all three SOEs when it expired.
The third SOE, which covers areas of downtown Kingston and lower St Andrew, will expire next Monday night. The St James SOE, which was the first to be instituted, is scheduled to end on January 31.
In a statement last night, Prime Minister Andrew Holness reassured the public that the Government’s Plan Secure Jamaica is in full effect. (See related story on Page 6).
During the SOEs, the security forces have the power to search, curtail operating hours of business, restrict access to places and detain persons without a warrant. It also gives them power to stop and question persons, seize property, and control public gatherings and movements.
The Constitution provides that a period of public emergency can be declared by proclamation, if the governor general is satisfied that action has been taken, or is immediately threatened, by any person or body of persons of such a nature and on so extensive a scale as to be likely to endanger public safety.