JAMAICA | Fitz Jackson's motion to address widespread ATM woes stalls in Parliament

KINGSTON, Jamaica. January 17, 2024:   Member of Parliament for South St.Catherine, Mr. Fitz Jackson says the  Private Member’s motion he tabled on December 19, 2023,to address the pervasive challenges of malfunctioning ATMs across the country, and urging the Bank of Jamaica to investigate the matter for swift resolution,  has have been stymied by bureaucratic hurdles within the Parliament, and hindering the urgent redress required to improve banking services for the public.

 Following a sitting of the House of Representatives on January 16, 2023, Jackson expressed deep disappointment in the actions of the Leader of Government Business and the Speaker of the House, who refused to take up the motion during Tuesday’s sitting. 

Despite the absence of compelling business on the House's agenda, the PNP Member of Parliament said the motion was deferred for consideration at a later sitting. Jackson had informed both officials that he intended to delay the debate until after the Economy and Production Committee report, allowing all members to contribute based on the committee's findings and input from stakeholders nationwide.

 “The obstructionist stance by the Speaker of the House is not new, as previous attempts to table the motion were similarly impeded, resulting in a delayed presentation to the House by two weeks”, said Jackson.

 He bemoaned, “It is appalling that the government and the Speaker are demonstrating such callousness on matters affecting thousands of Jamaicans and businesses across the country," remarked Fitz Jackson. The continued deafening silence of the Minister of Finance and the Bank of Jamaica on the inconvenience and hardship faced by the public raises serious concerns about their commitment to addressing the pressing issues affecting citizens across the nation. 

 “As ATM services remain unreliable, causing significant disruptions to daily life and hampering economic activities, the absence of a proactive response from key financial authorities is not only disheartening but also underscores a lack of accountability by the JLP administration. Jamaican citizens deserve transparent communication and decisive action from those entrusted with overseeing the nation's financial well-being”, said Jackson.

last week, Shadow Minister of Science, Technology, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Dr Andre Haughton, called for immediate and comprehensive action to address these issues and ensure compensation and remuneration for affected individuals, in response to widespread  concern over unauthorized financial transactions and missing funds from bank accounts across various institutions in Jamaica, 

The Shadow Minister said that recent incidents involving fraud at local banks have raised serious concerns about the security of our banking systems and highlighted the pressing need for a thorough investigation and decisive measures to prevent such occurrences in the future. 

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