PM orders ‘own’ investigation into staging of Mocha Fest
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness says he has asked for his own investigation to be conducted into the staging of the Mocha Fest at Rick’s Café in Negril in breach of COVID-19 safety protocols which has since triggered public outrage.
The prime minister was speaking during a ceremony today to commemorate the 91st anniversary of the birth of former Prime Minister Edward Seaga with a floral tribute at the National Heroes’ Park.
“There is a particular situation that has come on our radar this morning. One that I must pay careful attention to because it throws up something that we are always contending with marked in our society — the unequalness of the society, the haves and the have nots. Why is it that some people are allowed to party and others are not? The unequal nature of the society,” Holness said as he deviated from the ceremony.
“This Government has a duty to ensure that the law is equally applied, both to those who have not and those who have. So read from my statement what you will, Government will have to ensure that it was not complicit in any breach of its own law and I have asked for a report and my own investigations will be conducted,” he continued.
The prime minister further noted that “the various arms of the state that have a duty to ensure the equal application of the law” and said he is expecting that they will move in that direction to ensure that if there is any breach, that the full application of the law will be guaranteed.
The Jamaica Tourist Board has since denied that permission was granted for this year’s staging of the event which was said to be sold out.
Read: JTB says no permission was given for Mocha Fest, promises probe and sanctions
Shortly after, the Tourism Product Development Company Ltd (TPDCo) withdrew Rick’s Café’s COVID-19 compliance certification with immediate effect and said it would have to undergo a recertification exercise to start accepting visitors once more.
