States of Public Emergency To Be Discontinued

Senate Debates Extension of SOEs in Sections of Jamaica

States of Public Emergency (SOEs) will not be extended.

The Opposition People’s National Party Senators voted against a motion to extend the States of Emergency in seven police divisions dismissing a move to extend the added security measures which were announced by Prime Minister Andrew Holness two weeks ago, on November 14, 2021.

Ministry of National Security, Senator, Mathew Samuda, in an attempt to express his displeasure, said “this is an emergency”… “statistics don’t lie, I know what the votes are… the country has made up its mind and the country is watching”. His request is that the measures be extended and that the motion be approved.

The voting results are as follows: 13 – Yes | 3 – No | 5 – Absent

The emergency powers continuous-resolution, for the parishes of St. James, Westmoreland, and Hanover, and the emergency powers specified areas of Kingston and St Andrew continuous-resolution was not approved.

President of the Senate, Senator The Honourable Thomas Tavares-Finson, in his closing remarks, said that Jamaicans need to revisit the provision that was set in place years ago.

Two members of the Lower House voted against the resolutions (the state of emergency). Which subsequently went to the Senate for an extra vote. Three unelected members of the House voted against the resolutions; votes of the elected representatives from St James, Hanover, and Westmoreland were not accounted for – and it was stated that the members were all for the extension of the SOEs.

There are 63 Members of Parliament.