KINGSTON, Jamaica— Information Minister Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon said that the short period in which Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s recent visit to India was planned and coordinated could be the reason Jamaicans were not properly informed ahead of his departure.

Holness’ official visit to India is a historic one as he is the first Jamaican prime minister to do so. The trip took place from September 30 to October 3.

Senator Morris provided the explanation during Wednesday’s Post Cabinet Press Briefing, when a reporter queried why many learnt about the historic visit through social media while the prime minister was already in the South Asian country.

Senator Morris stated, however, that notifications of the trip were sent out through the Office of the Prime Minister, and the public sector was aware of Holness’s planned visit to India.

“In terms of the PM’s trip to India, this was very actually coordinated in a short period of time and we would have sent out notifications in relation to travel, we usually do. That is done through the Office of the Prime Minister and Naomi is here, Naomi is our Press Secretary and she usually sends out our press notifications so if that was an issue in terms of timing that is obviously an apology that is necessary there, but it is a trip that was very much known especially in the public sector,” Senator Morris said.

“We (the public sector) were working for several week across all of the ministries to look at where MOU’s would have been necessary, working with our attorney General’s department to ensure that the MOU’s were reviewed and so it is, as you said, it is important that prior to any engagement like this that we make notifications and that is very clearly noted,” she added.

Senator Morris further stated that representatives from government-owned Jamaica Information Service (JIS) were also in India with the prime minister and would have taken footage for distribution in Jamaica for use by other media outlets.