SOMERTON, St James — Government Senator Charles Sinclair has called on the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) to apologise for the human rights violations that accompanied the state of emergency declared in 1976, when the PNP formed the Government.

“I hear some people from the other side get up the other day and say that they are there to protect human rights. And, I reflect and I looked on it for myself and I say, ‘What human rights you talking about? Because you had a state of emergency in 1976 and you locked up people right, left and centre for one year, and you never business about dem human rights’,” Sinclair charged.

Following the declaration of a state of emergency in the East Kingston Police Division last month, PNP General Secretary Julian Robinson said the party would ensure that the rights of citizens are respected during the enhanced security measures.

But, Senator Sinclair is insisting that Prime Minister Andrew Holness has ensured that members of the security forces are trained before engaging in the enhanced security measures.

“Across Jamaica the Jamaica Labour Party has introduced the state of emergency, and nothing wrong with that… One thing our prime minister has ensured is that the law enforcement agencies — the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Jamaica Defence Force — after he decided to enforce the state of emergency, that they were trained in human rights. They mustn’t go out there and abuse people,” argued Senator Sinclair.

He was speaking on Sunday during the public session of the JLP’s Somerton divisional conference.

Besides East Kingston Police Division, states of public emergency are also in place in Clarendon, St Catherine, St James, Hanover, Westmoreland, and St Andrew South police divisions.

Sinclair, who is also the councillor for Montego Bay North Eastern Division of the St James North Western constituency in the St James Municipal Corporation, also questioned when the Opposition would apologise for the era of Financial Sector Adjustment Company (FINSAC), during which Jamaicans lost their businesses.

“They (PNP) go around and talking about they are for this and they are for that, but up to now I don’t hear them apologise for the injury that they brought upon Jamaicans when they created a bad economic situation in Jamaica that brought on FINSAC. Under FINSAC, 40,000 businesses in Jamaica that employed ordinary people were closed down… People lost their homes under FINSAC; people’s families broke up under FINSAC,” Sinclair told party supporters.

— Horace Hines