JAMAICA | Mottley chides Holness for "gimmickery" of fining Cabinet ministers for breach ofr DRMA

Kingston, Jamaica, March 19, 2022: Opposition Spokesperson on Justice, Senator Donna Scott-Mottley has chided the Prime Minister for his mockery of the Jamaican people, and gross disregard of the judicial process, when he indulged in a gimmick of purporting to impose a fine of $100,000 on his government ministers who had been exposed in breach of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA).

At a sitting of the House of Representatives on Thursday March 17, 2022, Prime Minister Andrew Holness made frivolous remarks which have angered and offended the sensibilities of Jamaicans, many of whom have been subjected to hefty fines of $200,000 or jail time if they were not able to pay. 

The Opposition noted that the law of the land, which governs all Jamaicans, does not give the Prime Minister any power to impose fines. “For the Prime Minister to come to Parliament and joke about a matter that has inflicted serious injustice and harm on many lives shows blatant contempt and disregard for the people and the processes that govern them”, said Senator Scott-Mottley.

The Opposition noted that the Prime Minister’s remarks reflect a blatant double standard in law enforcement, further reinforcing the reality of the two Jamaicas that exist.

Senator Scott-Mottley is calling on the Prime Minister to apologize publicly for his remarks, which have trivialized a serious matter affecting the rule of law, and have left Jamaicans with a bitter taste in their mouths. She recounted the experience of many Jamaicans who were found in breach of the DRMA while merely trying to eke out a living for themselves and their families, and were punished harshly by the court, only to hear the Prime Minister announce the gimmick of imposing a so-called “fine” on his political colleagues, without them being charged and brought before the court in accordance with the law of the land.

Senator Scott-Mottley underscored the point that since the DRMA orders were introduced, the Opposition has called for the implementation of the ticketing system to set out standard, modest fines for breaches of the DRMA. This ticketing system was never implemented, and many of our citizens had to endure disproportionate and oppressive punishment by the legal system.

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