KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Patriots, the young professional affiliate of the People’s National Party (PNP), is rallying Members of Parliament (MPs) and key stakeholders to urgently mobilize national support for the Banking Services (Amendment) Act.  

Following a meeting with Member of Parliament Fitz Jackson, who tabled the Bill, leaders of the Patriots are appealing for stakeholders including Generation 2000, the Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSME) Alliance, and the National Workers Union (NWU) to begin lobbying MPs.

President of the Patriots, Javette Nixon, in a news release on Tuesday, said he is appealing to Jamaicans from “all walks of life to take an urgent and serious interest in ensuring that this Banking Act is approved by the House.

“Today banking is a part of our life’s normal routine, and we have a duty to ensure that the poor are not fined for living,” Nixon said.

 “The Act’s primary purpose is to protect consumers’ assets and the livelihood of poor and low income Jamaicans. It is ‘above the politics’ because our constituents are crying out for this protection”.

According to the Patriots president, “for many young professionals a payroll account is the only real asset they possess, and today even social assistance requires bank accounts.   

“They say that bank charges also increase the costs of doing business since the burden is absorbed by consumers across the economy and often challenges operators of medium, small and some micro enterprises”.

The group’s General Secretary Omar Newell pointed stakeholders’ attention to The Act’s Mandatory Minimum Service Package, which demands that banks handle dormant accounts fairly, establish 10 free transactions monthly, enable free access to statutorily required statements, remove fees for cashing or changing cheques, ensure customers are kept informed about increases in rates and fees, and  display fees inside electronic banking booths.