OPPOSITION spokesman on mining, energy and telecommunications, Clive Millings, wants a public debate on the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Jamaica and Venezuela for the provision of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

In a release Thursday, Mullings challenged minister of industry, technology, energy and commerce, Phillip Paulwell, to a public debate on the MOU which will allow Jamaica to buy 2.5 million tonnes of LNG from Venezuela annually.

Mullings said that “very critical and in-depth” discussions are needed to assess the impact of the deal and its implications for the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME).

He said that there were a number of pressing concerns that needed to be addressed, and that the debate was urgently needed so that Jamaicans could be adequately informed about the deal.

Paulwell has publicly dismissed criticisms of the MOU, claiming that it will provide a number of advantages for Jamaica, including an additional one million tonnes of LNG which Trinidad and Tobago would have be able to provide annually.

The MOU, signed last Monday during a brief visit to the island by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, follows the breakdown of arrangements with Trinidad to provide Jamaica with 1.5 million tonnes, annually.