EDITORIAL - Lift the State of Emergency now

[Lazie]

EDITORIAL - Lift the State of Emergency now
published: Tuesday | August 21, 2007

(Jamaica Gleaner)

We must express serious concern with the undue haste with which the Government has declared a period of public emergency. The decision to advise the Governor-General to make such a proclamation was made without consultation with the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). We believe that a step of such enormous magnitude in the midst of a fiercely contested general election required some consultation. The Prime Minister's justification for taking this step is presented after the fact and is completely unconvincing.

It is essential that this emergency comes to an end immediately. The security forces are clearly on top of the situation. There is no threat to law and order. There is nothing "likely to endanger the public safety or to deprive the community, or any substantial portion of the community, of supplies or services essential to life". No justification for prolonging the emergency beyond today exists. It must come to an end now.

In her statements during and after the hurricane, the Prime Minister has spoken about the need for unity. Yet, this unilateral declaration strikes a death blow against unity. There can be no unity without thorough and timely consultation across the full spectrum of our political and civil leadership. Since it holds the levers of power, the Government has the main responsibility in this regard.

[Lazie]

End that State of Public Emergency now
Page 1 Editorial
Tuesday, August 21, 2007

(Jamaica Observer)


Let there be no doubt or equivocation about our position. This State of Public Emergency declared Sunday night cannot and must not stand.

We believe that there is absolutely no justification for it and, if it were meant to help, then it has had the very opposite effect, by creating a perception in the outside world, and among tourists, in particular, that Jamaica is not open for business.

A State of Public Emergency is an extreme action to be taken only after the most careful evaluation of a potential crisis facing the country. Conceivably, the prime minister might have thought, amidst the howling winds of Hurricane Dean, that it was necessary to take such strong action to provide the security forces with extraordinary powers to deal with any widescale looting and disorder during and after the storm.

We note that under former Prime Minister P J Patterson one was declared at the time of Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

But there is a big difference between the declaration in 2004 and Sunday night's declaration. In the case of the former, the State of Public Emergency was called before the arrival of the hurricane, a proactive move that benefited from the lessons of Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 when there was massive looting.

In this latter case, the declaration came after hurricane conditions had begun to affect Jamaica, and might have been, at best, an after-thought which itself would be no consolation to anyone.

But even had it been an after-thought, immediately after the passage of Hurricane Dean Sunday night, there were indications - and by morning it had become abundantly clear - that the prerequisite conditions for a State of Public Emergency were non-existent and there was no need for it. We, therefore, were expecting that the first order of business yesterday morning would have been to rescind the declaration.

If the Government feels it needs to take strong measures in the current situation, it should be sufficient to utilise the curfews that were imposed prior to the arrival of the hurricane.

While it remains in force, the State of Public Emergency threatens the Jamaican economy with potential loss of earnings which we can scarcely afford, particularly from the vital tourist industry which, ironically, reports minimal damage. Tourists have a penchant, and who could blame them, for cancelling plans to visit countries where they are unlikely to have a pleasant vacation.

With the intense interest in Jamaica by the international media covering the storm, the message would have been sent rapidly around the world that Jamaica is not a place to vacation at this time.

We get the feeling that little thought was put into the matter of declaring a State of Public Emergency. Notice that a matter as important as this was left to a government functionary to read to the Jamaican public on a radio station.

Moreover, the nation's experience with a State of Emergency gone awry is an unhappy one and does not inspire confidence in governance. We hope that this dictum will not be used as an excuse for postponing the general elections indefinitely, thereby prolonging the election campaign which has been getting increasingly violent.

The country wants to be over and done with it, in order to get back to normal.

[Lazie]

Mi curious if Sickko gonna now accuse both newspapers of making everything political? No .. wait .. him already accuse one.

[Lazie]

Prime Minister of Jamaica defends emergency call
published: Tuesday | August 21, 2007

Edmond Campbell, News Coordinator
The State of public emergency declared by [COLOR=black! important][COLOR=black! important]Governor[/COLOR][/COLOR]-General Professor Kenneth Hall on the advice of [COLOR=black! important][COLOR=black! important]Prime [COLOR=black! important]Minister[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] Portia Simpson Miller might be shortlived if electricity is restored before the end of the week.
In the wake of Hurricane Dean, the Prime Minister advised the Governor-General to make the proclamation on Sunday.
Speaking yesterday at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House to assess the impact of the hurricane on the island, Mrs. Simpson Miller told journalists that her decision to call a State of PublicEmergency was intended to protect [COLOR=black! important][COLOR=black! important]human [COLOR=black! important]rights[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], in particular "the right to life".
She argued that the State of Public Emergency did not give the [COLOR=black! important][COLOR=black! important]security[/COLOR][/COLOR] forces the right to abuse the rights of Jamaicans.
Dismissing suggestions that the declaration was made with ulterior motives, Mrs. Simpson Miller charged that her decision was without partisan consideration.
"People were imputing motives, my only motive was to ensure that the country would be protected and, in thick darkness across the country, how would I be able to guarantee safety of the people unless the security forces would be out there and be able to take action," she stressed.
Reviewed and lifted
Mrs. Simpson Miller assured members of the media that as soon as the Jamaica Public Service Company restored power across the country, the State of Public Emergency would be reviewed and lifted.
The Opposition Spokesman on Justice, Delroy Chuck, has raised questions about the need for the declaration of a State of Public Emergency.
Chuck, in a Gleaner interview, said that up to mid-afternoon yesterday, the Jamaica Labour Party's assessment of the effects of the hurricane had indicated that the Prime Minister's instructions for the Governor-General to declare a State of Public Emergency might have been ill advised.
"Our assessment in terms of problems with disruptions or damage caused by the hurricane or communities not getting supplies indicate that at this moment there is no justification," he said.
Meanwhile, attempts by candidates contesting the general election to get relief supplies directly from Food for the Poor for constituents hit by Hurricane Dean, failed yesterday, as principals at the non-governmental agency, said they would only distribute supplies through the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).
Minister of Local Government and Environment, Dean Peart confirmed yesterday that ODPEM, in collaboration with Food for the Poor and other relief agencies had full responsibility fordistributing supplies to affected persons and no politician would be involved in the process.
The Gleaner was reliably informed that several candidates lined up at Food for the Poor to collect supplies but were disappointed as the poor relief agency refused to hand over the goods to the politicians.
It was reported that 350 personnel from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security would be dispatched today across the island, to carry out an assessment of damage to houses and the agriculture sector.
The Prime Minister expressed regret at the death of two persons during the passage of the hurricane.
She listed the priority areas for attention as schools, health facilities, electricity and water.

Tourism is up and running and countries providing support to Jamaica are:
United States,Venezuela, Brazil, Canada, European Union, Spain, Barbados
Trinidad and Tobago & other CARICOM countries. The Inter American Development Bank to provide US $200,000.

[Exile]

It was necessary!!!!! They could jump and holler as much as they like. Is it a stretch to think that both newspapers could be political? Give me a break! FYI - Cancun is experiencing a Cat 3 now with a declared State of Emergency.

[Lazie]

It was necessary!!!!! They could jump and holler as much as they like. Is it a stretch to think that both newspapers could be political? Give me a break! FYI - Cancun is experiencing a Cat 3 now with a declared State of Emergency.

You keep citing other countries. You realized that our SoE was implemented AFTER THE FACT???

Hegemony is clouding yuh judgement Exile.

[Assasin]

Even if it was get rid of it NOW.

Businesses and working people who keep the economy flowing must get back to doing that ASAP.

[Exile]

Ha, ha...joke of the day! Let's see - don't cite other countries...hmmm wasn't it your political leader who felt ashamed when looking at Grenada, B'dos etc...don't you quote US data...let mi stop...whatever

[Exile]

Is the SoE stopping that? The Jamaican economy was flowing? TT just announced a TT$42B budget (approx. US$7B)...for 1.3M people...

[Lazie]

Ha, ha...joke of the day! Let's see - don't cite other countries...hmmm wasn't it your political leader who felt ashamed when looking at Grenada, B'dos etc...don't you quote US data...let mi stop...whatever

Gosh Exile ... slow down a bit. Did I say you shouldn't cite other countries? Obviously you missed my point. The other countries put these into place in preparation for the disaster. What you need to tell us is if people's rights are being denied by the state. In Texas, as I pointed out yesterday, such an emergency kicks certain actions into play. E.G. issuing sandbags, providing buses to evacuate citizens etc.

Now compare that to our SoE.

[Assasin]

Exile the economy will be shut down in a state of emergency if it last more than two days.

People will not be able to go about their business as they intend to. Some places didn't fare too bad and can get back to normal. It is not a matter if it flowing or not. The little business pon the corner can be crippled by losing a few days worth of sales. Let them get back to business.

[Exile]

That's why I suggest a special Disaster Emergency in other post. This would deal with natural disasters.

[Mosiah]

Dat's how I see it. Scream and galang and raise unnu frock over unnu head, Portia did the right thing, for once! Since when is an election reason to allow for civil disobedience or whatever? In fact, because of the fractious election campaign, the SoE was a no-brainer. Everywhere call SoE, but because we are worried about what the opposition will say, we going to risk our society. Dem can try dem best!

This topic is closed.

[Exile]

Thanks Sir. Next!

[Mosiah]

Topic reopened to deal with this piece of nonsense.

Lazie, anything she did would have resulted in unnu bitching. If she called it before, unnu would have tings fi say. If she call it during, unnu dideh a whine. Maybe she should have called it a day before the general election, storm or no storm.