KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition Leader Mark Golding has expressed concerns over the government’s lack of a clear policy regarding the conditions necessary for lifting zones of special operations (ZOSO).

He was speaking at a community meeting at August Town Primary School on Friday.

“There’s been no clear policy direction from the minister of national security as to what needs to happen, what the circumstances have to be like for them to say, ‘okay, we’ve gone far enough for this particular thing and we need to move on’. But we don’t really know what the criteria are…and I think that discussion needs to be had,” Golding said.

He pointed to communities like Mount Salem, Denham Town and August Town which he said have endured ZOSO operations for years on end.

“We need some clear policy direction around it. And I think, for me, the way to deal with that would be to have community engagement and say ‘How has it worked? Are you happy about it? Do you feel it has achieved something? What are the positives? What are the negatives and how do we move forward?’ Because at the end of the day, the law must be for the people’s benefit,” Golding explained.

While acknowledging that Parliament has made efforts to improve the conditions of ZOSOs, Golding added, “It’s not perfect and the people who live through that experience must be our guide as to what needs to happen and how it ought to be dealt with on an ongoing basis.”