Government Senator Donald Wehby on Friday severely criticised Senators of the Opposition People’s National Party [PNP] for not supporting the extension of the States of Emergency (SOEs) last November.

Senator Wehby described as “shameful” the sudden brake on the seven SOEs which were declared in St James, Westmoreland and Hanover, as well four police divisions in Kingston and St Andrew, less than two weeks before the November 25 Senate vote when Opposition Senators refused to endorse their extension.

“The most important issue is crime and, when the vote came, it was (just) two of you over there: shame, shame, shame, shame,” Wehby stated while closing the State of the Nation debate.

He held up a newspaper front page with a headline quoting former PNP chairman Phillip Paulwell declaring that his party would pay for failing to support the extension of the security measure.

“Every Jamaican is affected by crime – black, rich, poor, white, every single one of us is affected by crime. How many lives, may I ask, could we have saved, we will never know,” Wehby remarked.

“I get very emotional when it comes to the lives of every Jamaica,” he said, referring to the recent reports of unabated deaths which have followed the lockdown of the SOEs in some volatile areas.

Wehby said his most disappointing experience as a third term member of the Senate, came when he saw that only two of the eight Opposition Senators remained in the chamber for the conclusion of the debate. Both of whom refused to cast the single vote required to save the security forces strategic emergency crime operations.

“When the vote was supposed to be done on the most important issue in our country, only two Senators from the Opposition was over there. Two Senators over there on the most serious issue of crime and violence in our beautiful country,” Wehby mourned.

He said he has always supported the emergency measures which are introduced on the recommendation of the Commissioner of Police and the Chief of Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force, and which give the security forces leverage in handling crime and violence in violence-plagued communities.

“I have always been a supporter of the states of emergency, and will continue to support it as a crime fighting strategy both in my capacity as a senator, and as a private sector leader. My colleagues in the Private Sector Oganisation of Jamaica support the re-introduction of the states of emergency and the implementation of the 90-day extensions,” Wehby concluded.