Opposition Spokesperson on Justice Donna Scott-Mottley is chiding Prime Minister Andrew Holness for his handling of the five Cabinet ministers who appeared to flout COVID-19 regulations while attending an entertainment event Tuesday night.
The Government has been facing backlash after the ministers were seen at the Alpha album launch of Jamaican sensation Shenseea.
Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, Holness indicated that the Cabinet ministers have been ordered to donate $100,000 each to a charity or assist Jamaicans currently before the courts for breaching the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA).
“Some people were starstruck and forgot their senses; I believe they should be fined. And so Minister [Olivia] Grange, who is used to being among stars and kept her mask on, I am appointing you, Minister, to collect $100,000 from every minister who was there and make a donation to a worthy charity,” Holness said.
READ: PM fines ‘starstruck’ ministers in album launch saga
The orders under the DRMA ended yesterday.
Scott-Mottley is accusing Holness of indulging in a gimmick of purporting to impose a fine on his ministers, arguing that his action made a mockery of Jamaicans and shows gross disregard of the judicial process.
She said that his action has offended the sensibilities of Jamaicans, many of whom have been subjected to hefty fines or jail time for breaching COVID rules.
“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,” Scott-Mottley.
She argued that the Prime Minister’s remarks reflect a blatant double standard in law enforcement, further reinforcing the reality of the two Jamaica’s.
Scott-Mottley underscored that since the DRMA orders were introduced, the Opposition called for the implementation of a ticketing system to set out standard, modest fines for breaches.
This ticketing system was never implemented, and many Jamaicans had to endure disproportionate and oppressive punishment by the legal system, she charged.
Scott-Mottley is calling for Holness to apologise publicly for his remarks, which she said have trivialised a serious matter affecting the rule of law and have left Jamaicans with a bitter taste in their mouths.
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