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Gov't Dragged Its Feet With Extension Request - Bunting
Published: Friday | July 23, 20100 Comments and 0 Reactions
Nicholson
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Edmond Campbell, Senior Staff Reporter
OPPOSITION SPOKESMAN on National Security Peter Bunting has charged that his Government counterpart, Dwight Nelson, received a request from the security forces for an extension to the current state of emergency from Saturday.
This claim runs counter to pronouncements by the prime minister in Parliament on Tuesday.
When contacted by The Gleaner, Nelson, at first, denied Bunting's allegations, saying he did not receive a request from the security forces at the weekend.
"I don't know where he got that information from, but the prime minister received a joint request from the commissioner of police and the chief of staff on Monday," he said.
Reporter: So you didn't get any (request) on Saturday?
Nelson: No.
Reporter: There was no formal request before Monday?
Nelson: No, not that I am aware of.
Clarification
However, the national security minister later sought to clarify his earlier comments, explaining that he had received a letter at home on Sunday from Police Commissioner Owen Ellington.
"That letter gave what was happening in west Kingston and Tivoli Gardens, and Fletcher's Land, and Denham Town and Hannah Town, and it set out what was happening there as the basis for an extension of the state of emergency, but that letter only spoke to west Kingston," he said.
"I got it Sunday, and I gave it to the prime minister Monday morning," said Nelson, adding that the letter was read to Cabinet.
"And later on Monday, he (prime minister) got a joint letter from both the chief of staff and the commissioner with the general thing," he said.
At a press conference at PNP headquarters Wednesday, Bunting chided Nelson for dragging his feet with the request.
Incompetence
"If it takes three days for that important piece of information to move from the minister of national security to the prime minister, I am not excusing that incompetence. The Government had the request from Saturday," he said.
According to Bunting, there was enough time for talks to be held with the Opposition on the issue before taking the resolution to Parliament.
Senator A.J. Nicholson, the PNP's legal adviser, defended his party's position, saying newspapers should not blame the Opposition for their lack of support for the extension of the state of emergency.
"How you're gonna blame the Opposition? The prime minister got 15 days. Who are you to blame then, if not the prime minister?" he said.
Nicholson said the public and the press should ask Golding why he refused the Opposition's proposal to extend the measure by 15 days, contrary to the Government's wish to push for 30 more days.
"Is it that he wanted the public to say that if anything should happen after the state of emergency is lifted, that it's the Opposition's fault?" Nicholson questioned.
edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com
Published: Friday | July 23, 20100 Comments and 0 Reactions
Nicholson
1 2 >
Edmond Campbell, Senior Staff Reporter
OPPOSITION SPOKESMAN on National Security Peter Bunting has charged that his Government counterpart, Dwight Nelson, received a request from the security forces for an extension to the current state of emergency from Saturday.
This claim runs counter to pronouncements by the prime minister in Parliament on Tuesday.
When contacted by The Gleaner, Nelson, at first, denied Bunting's allegations, saying he did not receive a request from the security forces at the weekend.
"I don't know where he got that information from, but the prime minister received a joint request from the commissioner of police and the chief of staff on Monday," he said.
Reporter: So you didn't get any (request) on Saturday?
Nelson: No.
Reporter: There was no formal request before Monday?
Nelson: No, not that I am aware of.
Clarification
However, the national security minister later sought to clarify his earlier comments, explaining that he had received a letter at home on Sunday from Police Commissioner Owen Ellington.
"That letter gave what was happening in west Kingston and Tivoli Gardens, and Fletcher's Land, and Denham Town and Hannah Town, and it set out what was happening there as the basis for an extension of the state of emergency, but that letter only spoke to west Kingston," he said.
"I got it Sunday, and I gave it to the prime minister Monday morning," said Nelson, adding that the letter was read to Cabinet.
"And later on Monday, he (prime minister) got a joint letter from both the chief of staff and the commissioner with the general thing," he said.
At a press conference at PNP headquarters Wednesday, Bunting chided Nelson for dragging his feet with the request.
Incompetence
"If it takes three days for that important piece of information to move from the minister of national security to the prime minister, I am not excusing that incompetence. The Government had the request from Saturday," he said.
According to Bunting, there was enough time for talks to be held with the Opposition on the issue before taking the resolution to Parliament.
Senator A.J. Nicholson, the PNP's legal adviser, defended his party's position, saying newspapers should not blame the Opposition for their lack of support for the extension of the state of emergency.
"How you're gonna blame the Opposition? The prime minister got 15 days. Who are you to blame then, if not the prime minister?" he said.
Nicholson said the public and the press should ask Golding why he refused the Opposition's proposal to extend the measure by 15 days, contrary to the Government's wish to push for 30 more days.
"Is it that he wanted the public to say that if anything should happen after the state of emergency is lifted, that it's the Opposition's fault?" Nicholson questioned.
edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com
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