PSOJ: Back off Banking Bill-SOE ultimatum
PRESIDENT OF the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) Keith Duncan has expressed disappointment at the threat by the parliamentary Opposition to withdraw its support from the states of emergency (SOEs) if the Government refuses to support its Banking Bill.
As reported by The Gleaner on Monday, the Opposition, which has pointed out that it has cooperated with the Holness administration throughout 2019 as SOEs were declared and enforced in seven police divisions spanning six parishes, has indicated that it must now get something in return.
Regardless of whether the Government is about to make an about-turn on the same Banking Bill that it defeated by a 30-29 vote along strict party lines in February, the Opposition has repeatedly made the point that the SOEs are ineffective and have long lost their shock-and-awe effect. The Opposition has also cited that murders and shootings are up this year when compared to the corresponding period in 2018 despite the SOEs.
However, the influential PSOJ is insisting that both parties should continue to have dialogue around the worrying crime problem. Additionally, the PSOJ said the issues should not be mixed.
“The request from the Opposition around the support for the Banking Bill or they will withdraw support from the SOEs, if this is so, I believe is very disappointing,” Duncan told The Gleaner on Monday evening.
“They are separate issues that should not be linked. I believe the Government and the Opposition need to focus on coming together with a level of political maturity to address this long-standing crisis of crime. Jamaica needs this national consensus to happen with urgency, as it would remove uncertainty and increase confidence levels in Jamaica’s crime strategy,” Duncan added.
The PSOJ president noted that the privatesector group, led by Jamaica Chamber of Commerce President Lloyd Distant Jr, has been facilitating a process of bringing the Government, Opposition and civil society together to forge national consensus on fighting crime.
Duncan, who is also executive director and chief executive officer of JMMB Group, which operates a bank, acknowledged that banking fees “have become a pain point for many Jamaicans”.
But he said this would normally be addressed by competition in the financial sector and through institutions that are there “to protect consumers, (including) the Consumer Affairs Commission”.
He would not be drawn on whether banks should consider rolling back fees, which the Opposition is adamant are “arbitrary and exorbitant” and which affect tens of thousands of Jamaicans.
While a showdown over the SOEs and Banking Bill looms, some banks are already gearing up to increase fees based on notices posted inside their branches. And there are reports that some have increased their fees significantly since Fitz Jackson’s private member’s bill was defeated in the House.
Meanwhile, Duncan said the PSOJ was also “deeply concerned with the continued crisis levels around crime”, but remained supportive of the security forces, lauding the Government for increased budgetary allocation.
When the Parliament resumes sittings after the Christmas break in January, one of its first order of business will be a debate and vote on further extending the SOEs.
SOEs are set to lapse in St Andrew South on February 4; in Clarendon and St Catherine on February 18; and in the tri-parish area of St James, Westmoreland and Hanover on February 27.