Gov't did not circumvent Constitution in declaring SOEs in St. James - Morgan

By Kimone Witter    

 

Information Minister Robert Morgan is denying that the government circumvented the Constitution by reimposing a State of Emergency in St. James on Thursday without consulting the opposition, arguing that the declarations of the security measure are not the same.

 

Executive Director of Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) Mickel Jackson criticised the government for having autocratic tendencies.

 

But, Mr. Morgan said there was no need to engage with the opposition as two sets of SOEs were declared Thursday.

 

He explained that the security forces did not recommended an extension of the SOE in St. James but rather to have the security measure combined for St. James-Hanover and Clarendon-St. Catherine.

 

"The second set are not the same as the first. The first SOE related to St. James alone, the second SOE related to St. James and Hanover as the contiguous area of concern, and also St. Catherine and Clarendon as another contiguous area of concern. So it is not comparing apples to apples because it's two different things. If it is that we were going to declare St. James again by itself then logically your argument would hold water, but it doesn't because it's not the same thing," he argued. 

 

Mr. Morgan, who was speaking Friday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106, said the government considers it an exercise in futility to discuss its plans to declare states of emergency with the opposition. 

 

"Now the point I'm making to you, the opposition has gone to court seeking a declarations that SOEs are unconstitutional. They have been on your programme on numerous occasions saying that they will never support it. What would be the point of wasting the people's time to have discussions about something that somebody consistently says they do not want to speak about?" he said, accusing the opposition of never partnering with the government in the fight against crime. 

 

The Information Minister added that the continual use of states of emergency has reduced crime although not as substantially as was anticipated. 

 

"Last year when we declared SOEs in similar areas, we saw almost a 40 per cent reduction in murder, coming over into January and based on that start, the police had an opportunity to maintain what is now a 10 per cent reduction in murders. That is something to celebrate. That is success. It may not be a full success and any life loss is a concern to the government, but a reduction in murder is a reduction in murder."

 

He contended that the SOE is not a "one-trick pony" as has been posited by the JFJ, but is "part of a series of activities".