MONTEGO BAY, St James — Noting that successive Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) governments do not have any history of trampling human rights, Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett has sought to allay lingering fears over the negative impact the implementation of the zones of special operations will have on the lives of citizens.

“Nobody needs to fear this construct because we as a Government have over time shown that we have the highest regard for human rights and we have respected that — the right of every citizen. In fact, that is our committment,” Bartlett stressed.

“We have indicated through policy enunciated by the minister (of National Security) and the Prime Minister that we are creating these special zones, and the special zone is not about creating a penal pressure as it is about dealing with social reconstruction and safety and security arrangements.”

In fact, Bartlett, who is the Member of Parliament for St James East Central emphasised that even during a point in the 1980s when the JLP controlled all seats in Parliament, they operated democratically and did not infringe on the rights of Jamaicans.

“We had a one-party Government for five years when the Most Honourable Edward Seaga was prime minister … five years. Sixty members of the House all on one side and a Senate constructed to enable balance. And this country was run as democratic as any country in the world could possibly be run and nobody made a complaint about excesses and excessive use of power. So we understand how to balance that arrangement and we can be assured of that,” Bartlett remarked.

“Montego Bay has nothing to fear but indeed to bring fairness to the minds of all that we are committed to expunge the scourge that has bedevilled us over the years,” Bartlett noted.

He was speaking at the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Invest Mobay Breakfast Forum held at the Decamron Hotel in Montego Bay, St James, on Friday.

Montego Bay’s Mayor, Councillor Homer Davis, also sought to ease expressions of fears over the stifling of rights under the implementation of the special zones.

“The citizens should not be in fear because whatever is done it will be done in fairness to the citizens and the community and to make their community a much better place to live, raise family and do business,” Davis told the Jamaica Observer.

“I think that there are areas in St James that need to be brought under the zones of special operations based on the the types of illegal and criminal activities taking place, and it is my firm belief that those areas should be singled out for such operation,” the mayor stated.

President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourism Association Omar Robinson welcomed the initiative, but wants the special zones to be concentrated in the troubled spots.

“I really have no major concerns with the special zones of operation. I hope they will be concentrated in those trouble communities where the problems lie, not across the greater Montego Bay where everybody traverses. I really hope that they focus where the problems lie,” the JHTA president said.

He also wants to ensure that there are measures in place for properly identified workers who hail from the communities where the special zones are implemented, to be free to travel to and from work.