News from the OPM

Prime Minister Andrew Holness is expressing confidence that when implemented, the Law Reform (Zone of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Act will lead to a reduction in crime. Speaking yesterday (July 13) at the opening ceremonies of the Denham Town and Tivoli Restorative Justice Centres, the prime minister said the country does not need dons or criminals to survive. Prime Minister Holness declared that there is only one sovereign state, Jamaica, and the government will act to protect the state. “The establishment of the legislation is a signal that the government, including the opposition, is not prepared to cede one square inch of Jamaica to any criminal organisation”, emphasised Prime Minister Holness. He said the establishment of the zone is not about taking away or abrogating the rights of the citizens. He said it will safeguard, protect, preserve and extend the rights of the law abiding citizens of Jamaica. In the meantime, Prime Minister Holness explained that crime and violence threaten economic growth and emphasised that at this time, the priority of the country must be to restore law, order, public safety and security for the citizens of the country. The Tivoli Gardens and Denham Town Restorative Justice…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness convened a meeting of Cabinet Ministers ahead of the parliamentary session this afternoon (July 11) to discuss and review the issue of communication costs and high cellular phone bills being incurred for roaming and data charges. The Prime Minister said the situation is unacceptable and must be addressed immediately. During the meeting at Parliament, Prime Minister Holness ordered an audit of all cell phone bills of Ministers and State Ministers. This is to confirm the accuracy of information in the public domain. Coming from the meeting, it was acknowledged that there was no standard, clear and consistent policy being applied across government regarding the treatment of communication expenses for Ministers and Ministers of State. The Prime Minister has therefore directed the Ministry of Finance to review and report on the respective policies for the provision of communication services including cell phones, operating in the various Ministries. This is to allow Cabinet to make a comprehensive decision on how communication services and expenses for Ministers are treated. In the interim, the Prime Minister directed that cellular phone expenses be capped. The Ministry of Finance has been tasked to advise the Prime Minister, within a week, on the appropriate amount for the cap to be paid by each ministry for the Minister’s cellular phone bills. Any amount exceeding the cap should, therefore, be the responsibility of the respective Ministers unless otherwise approved by the Permanent Secretary. The Cabinet members have agreed that public concerns about the level of some bills are valid. In furtherance of their Ministerial responsibility to be frugal with the public purse, notwithstanding that most of the costs incurred would have been in pursuit of the Government’s business, they have committed to reimburse the Government retroactively the difference between the actual bill and the capped amount to be determined and imposed. In the meantime, the Minister of Science, Energy and Technology is being mandated to…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness chaired a meeting of the National Security Council yesterday (Sunday, July 9) to review the provisions of the Law Reform (Zones of Special Operation) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Act. In particular, the accountability framework for the Jamaica Defence Force and the Jamaica Constabulary Force in Special Zones of Operation was discussed. The Prime Minister reiterated that the JDF and the JCF should ensure that members who will be deployed to the special zones aim to dismantle gangs and in so doing, create safe spaces that will facilitate the normalisation of communities. The security forces will be expected to liaise with social service agencies even as they maintain public order and safety. Through this relationship, there will be an assessment of needs, so that immediate relief operations and strategic planning for development can be activated.  This will include the delivery of social services to citizens even as they maintain public order and safety.  The importance of ongoing social intervention was also emphasised, to include public health services, youth engagement, and child care and protection services. The move towards utilising Special Zones of Operation is a critical step in the government’s goal of a sustained reduction in violent crime across the country. In addition to the zones, the meeting considered other parallel strategies including measures to reduce the number of illegal firearms and target violence producers. A roll-out of a national CCTV camera system at major traffic intersections and other strategic public areas was also discussed. It was agreed that the programme would also include motor vehicle license recognition software, as recommended in the National Security Policy. The Cabinet…

Jamaica is now a signatory to the Agreement establishing the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, CCREEE. Prime Minister Andrew Holness signed the agreement this morning (July 6) ahead of the start of the final day of discussions at the 38th Regular meeting of the Heads of Government of CARICOM in Grand Anse Grenada. The CCREEE is designed to address the implementation deficit in CARICOM’s sustainable energy sector and to support or coordinate the execution of the regional renewable energy and energy efficient projects. The Centre will be headquartered in Barbados. With the introduction of renewable energy solutions, Jamaicans can expect to see micro-economic decisions manifest in the macro-economy. The Government of Jamaica is actively seeking to attract renewable energy solutions in order to diversify the energy sector.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness today (July 6) held discussions with officials from the Government of the United States of America led by the Acting US Deputy Secretary of State and Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Thomas Shannon. Jamaica and the US have several multilateral and bilateral agreements in a wide range of areas including trade, investment and security. Today’s talks were held amid efforts to strengthen the bilateral ties between both nations. Prime Minister Holness and the Acting Deputy Secretary of State Shannon spoke on ways to deepen efforts to make the relationship between both countries more relevant. In that regard, the discussions focused on trade, investment, safety and security. The Prime Minister noted that Jamaica is taking steps to ensure that its fiscal management system is in order. “Jamaica is a textbook case of a country engaged in good fiscal management. We are now ensuring that those are embedded into our laws and practices. We are at this point transitioning into growth strategies, and I think that is where stronger engagement with the US could be beneficial. I think once we address the growth conundrum then we should be able to effectively address the other issues of crime, violence, safety and security,” explained Mr Holness. Prime Minister Holness acknowledged that Jamaica faces challenges in the area of crime. However, he expressed the hope that Jamaica and the US can strengthen cooperation in this regard. He said a major point for discussion going forward should be border security while noting that Jamaica has made…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has proposed that CARICOM leaders place crime on the agenda for future sittings of the organisation. The prime minister made the call yesterday (July 06) on the final day of the 38thRegular meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM in Grand Anse Grenada. Mr Holness says CARICOM represents one of the regions experiencing the highest rate of crime and violence. He said Jamaica is experiencing a spiral in the murder rate and that in discussions with other Heads they face similar issues. The prime minister stated that efforts to comprehensively address crime seem not to be bearing much fruit in the region. “So we have a major problem and we need to study it, we need to treat it the same way as we treat Noncommunicable Diseases, NCDs. To raise public awareness to mobilise government effort and action. Not wholly and solely on the security side but on dealing with the issue from the macro social side,” stated Prime Minister Holness. Mr Holness explained that regional leaders can learn from each other and tackle the problem as a whole. He says a report by the UN office on crime in 2013 states that there were 430,000 homicides in the world, half were committed in 20 countries and 10 of those countries are in the region. He says this is cause for grave concern and CARICOM must do its best to intervene. “We have treated with the issue of security, but while we deal with security crime and violence, particularly violence that leads to crime, is important to understand. Certainly, the epidemiology is the same especially as it…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness this morning (July 5) urged his colleague Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, CARICOM, to fully implement the Single Market and Economy, CSME. The Prime Minister was contributing to discussions on the CSME during the first plenary session at the 38th meeting of Heads of Government of CARICOM in Grand Anse Grenada. “The true expression of the realisation of the integration dream is to get the CSME going and we have to have the resolve as leaders to do this. It is how our people will experience true development and prosperity. And so, Jamaica wants to urge members to seriously put our efforts and commitment behind the CSME,” said Prime Minister Holness. Mr. Holness said regional leaders have been speaking about implementing a CSME for too long with little action. He said only three countries can truly claim to have compliance in adopting the CSME. He said for many countries it is a dream not realised and even denied. “We should all make the commitment and redouble our efforts to have compliance toward creating the real CSME otherwise the reality is that we will keep meeting and eventually it will wither away,” stated Prime Minister Holness…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness left the island this afternoon (Monday, July 3) for the Thirty-Eighth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in St. George's, Grenada. The Regular Meeting will be held under the chairmanship of Dr. the Rt. Honourable Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada, from July 4-6. The conference provides a forum for Heads of Government to engage in discussions on issues of critical importance to the region. It also provides an opportunity to develop innovative programmes of action in response to the challenges facing the Community in the areas of security, trade and economic development. Jamaica’s participation will allow it to underscore the country’s commitment to strengthening the regional integration process, especially the implementation of the CSME, and to provide a platform from which to address the Conference on specific issues of national importance. These include: Preparations for the hosting of the World Conference on Tourism, which is scheduled to be held in Montego Bay, in November 2017. Outcome of the CARIFORUM Ministerial Meeting to examine CARIFORUM within the EU-CELAC Partnership and the Future of the ACP/EU Post Cotonou Relationship, which was held in Kingston from March 29-30, 2017. Outcome…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Government will establish the National Security Council (NSC) in law. Speaking in Parliament yesterday (June 28) during the debate on the Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations)(Special Security and Community Development Measures) Act 2017, Mr Holness said the architecture is being put in place to ensure that Jamaica has a modern response to its national security. “We will be bringing to Parliament a law to establish it (the NSC). There is a consideration to have a member of the Opposition to be in attendance. I am hoping that will become a permanent part of the national security architecture,” said Mr Holness. The NSC is chaired by Prime Minister Holness who is also Minister of Defence. It includes the heads of the security forces along with the Ministers of National Security, Justice, Finance and Foreign Affairs and the National Security Advisor. It has been in operation since 1977. Prime Minister Holness assured that the NSC does not remove the separation of operation and policy from existing bodies in government. He says the NSC will hold the police accountable for how they use their powers of operation. “The police, the military and MOCA will have their…