Forty-eight Members of Parliament voted in the House of Representatives on Tuesday to extend the states of emergency in force in several parishes until September 3.
This was the compromise that was arrived at as Prime Minister Andrew Holness had earlier asked the House to extend the emergency measure until October 24. However, Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips suggested a shorter timeframe ending on August 25 before the House settled on September 3.
Phillips expressed his dissatisfaction that the Opposition was only told about the decision to extend the State of Emergencies (SOEs) on Monday night.
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The SOEs were slated to be lifted on July 25 and that date had given rise to speculation that a general election would be held shortly after they would have been allowed to expire.
Both Holness and the Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang had suggested that a general election would not be held while the emergency measure was in force. The parliamentary Opposition had also signalled that it would not support the SOEs being in place during such a time as Jamaicans are asked to go to the polls to elect their government.
While speculation was rife that a general election would be called before the end of August, the prime minister has, over the past two weeks been shifting focus, stating that he was setting about rebuilding the economy that has been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than on a general election.
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The election is constitutionally due by February 2021, with an effective grace period that could see the polls held as late as June 10 next year.
With the House vote, SOEs will remain in force in the tri-parish area of St James, Westmoreland and Hanover as well as in the parishes of Clarendon and St Catherine. SOEs are also in force in the Kingston eastern, central and western police divisions, as well as the St Andrew South Police Division.
The prime minister has commended the SOEs with an overall 13 per cent reduction in serious crimes.
Source: LoopJamaica
