STATE OF EMERGENCY COULD NOT CONTINUE INDEFINITELY..... PM GOLDING

July 29, 2010

STATE OF EMERGENCY COULD NOT CONTINUE

INDEFINITELY..... PM GOLDING

Prime Minister Bruce Golding says that the country must not rely on a State of Emergency to achieve ongoing law and order. He was speaking on his monthly radio programme Jamaica House Live on July 28.

Prime Minister Golding had this to say:

"We were very clear in our minds that the State of Emergency could not continue, not just that it couldn't continue indefinitely, it could not continue for any prolonged period of time, because a society must never become accustomed to living under emergency powers. It is not good. It is not good for the security forces to become so accustomed to relying on security powers that it becomes the routine means of dealing with criminal behavior but there is no doubt that the security forces started a mighty job and they achieved some positive results."

Prime Minister Bruce Golding.   Mr. Golding later told a female caller who spoke in support of an extension of the State of Emergency, that he would not use legal techniques to defy getting the people's permission through a Parliamentary majority.

"The Constitution allows the Cabinet to advise the Governor General to impose a State of Emergency for a period not exceeding one month. Any further extension must be approved by Parliament and if Parliament took a decision not to approve a further extension I would tread very cautiously about using the technical route to say, well we can impose a new State of Emergency, because in effect as it would be a defiance of Parliament. And therefore my position is: there would have to be extraordinary reasons that would arise, subsequent to the expiration, for me to feel that I am on strong constitutional grounds to summon Cabinet to seek Cabinet's authorization and thereafter to advise the Governor General."

Prime Minister Golding on his monthly radio programme, Jamaica House Live aired last night (July 28).