by Alecia Smith (Jamaica Observer) Government and Opposition members of the Upper House are expected to face off today over the states of emergency (SOEs) now in place across seven parishes.
The Government needs to convince at least one of the eight Opposition senators to break ranks and vote to extend the SOEs, or watch them collapse next week.
But with Leader of the Opposition Mark Golding and Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate Peter Bunting already voicing their disagreement with the extension of the SOEs, it seems likely that today’s debate will be nothing more than an opportunity for senators to seek to score points with the public.
Following a lengthy debate on Tuesday, members of the House of Representatives approved the resolutions extending the SOEs for 45 days to January 14, 2023.
Forty-four members of the Lower House — all on the Government benches — voted “yes” to The Emergency Powers (Parishes of Clarendon and St Catherine and specified areas in the parishes of Kingston and St Andrew) (Continuance) Resolution, 2022; and The Emergency Powers (Parishes of St James, Westmoreland and Hanover) (Continuance) Resolution, 2022, while three were “nos”, from the Opposition benches, and 16 absences.
