JAMAICA | Opposition denounces "Lies" by Prime Minister Holness in relation to the States of Emergency

KINGSTON, Jamaica. November 29, 2022 - The Peoples National Party has lashed out at Prime Minister Andrew Holness in relation to what it calls  his "firehose of falsehoods' in relation to the Opposition's failure to vote for an extension of the seven states of emergency which comes to an end this week and required the support of the Opposition to continue until sometime in January.

In a statement today, the PNP chided Mr. Holness cvharacterising his response as a "lie" by noting that "Prime Minister Holness feels it necessary to be the Chief Minister of Misinformation in his administration as he doubles down on misinformation and outright lies.  It is regrettable but necessary for the public record to ‘mash down two lies’ which he is currently promoting.

"The first lie told by Mr. Holness relates to the period in 2010, when multiple States of Emergency were declared as a result of the violent turmoil caused by the JLP administration’s attempt to frustrate the lawful extradition of the JLP affiliated criminal kingpin Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke.  Andrew Holness claims that it was the Opposition that prevented the extension of the State of Emergency in St. Catherine in 2010. This is a fictional version of what occurred. 

Mash down that LIE. Holness you never declared a SOE in 2010. Withdraw this tweet and admit thus is blatant FALSEHOOD https://t.co/qTRb1k4yUJ

— Lambert Brown (@LambertBrownJa) November 29, 2022

In trying to set the record straight, the Opposition said "the reality is that in 2010, prior to the passage and inclusion of the new Charter of Rights in the Constitution, all it took to extend a State of Emergency was the support of a simple majority of Parliament.  The JLP Government had that required majority, but then Min. Andrew Holness, Leader of Government Business, FAILED to marshal all the Government MPs to be present and to vote in support of the extension.  Nevertheless, Holness continues to double down on his false narrative, and after twelve years further embellishes his story with defamatory falsehoods."

According to the PNP, "the second ‘lie of the day’ being asserted by Holness and his cronies is that the Opposition rejected the Government’s proposal for pre-charge detention in 2019.  Here are the facts:

1. The context was the sittings of the Joint Select Committee reviewing the Anti-Gang legislation.

2. Submissions were received from various interest groups - JCF, JDF, MOCA, Bar Association, etc.

3. The JCF’s (not the JLP Government) submission recommended amending the Anti-Gang Legislation to provide for pre-charge detention.  

4. The JCF’s proposal was that pre-charge detention would have been initiated solely by the police in the first instance, and reviewed daily by a Justice of the Peace after the first 48 hours.  After 7 days it could be extended by a Parish Judge for another 7 days.  

5. The Opposition did not reject the JCF's proposal but expressed scepticism that investigations could be completed within 14 days when persons were held under SOE for over a year, ostensibly for similar purposes, yet no such charges were eventually laid. The Opposition also had concerns that seven days was too long a period to be detained before judicial review and suggested a maximum of two days.

6. The then AG – Marlene Malahoo-Forte - shared the concerns of the Opposition.

The Opposition charged that "this continued gaslighting of the Jamaican public by the Prime Minister demonstrates his insincerity in calling for support from the Opposition and that he is only seeking a scapegoat to deflect from the failures of his administration.

*The firehose of falsehoods is a propaganda technique in which a large number of messages are broadcast rapidly, repetitively, and continuously over multiple channels (such as news and social media) without regard for truth or consistency," the PNP concluded.

The JLP government doesn't speak truth. The PNP always supported the government on SOE but after the courts deem the some measures unconstitutional, the PNP have to uphold the constitution. There must be a better way in fighting crime. Long live @DamionCrawfordJ and the PNP pic.twitter.com/CL42fXCv7j

— John Polack (@Polack5John) November 28, 2022

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