KINGSTON, Jamaica — Citing what he declared as the Andrew Holness-led Administration’s success in fighting crime, Government Senator Charles Sinclair says only a person of poor judgement could think of voting against the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in the upcoming general election.

“It is only a person with poor judgement that could conjure up the thought of swapping a [National Security] Minister Horace Chang for any other person, or swapping the honourable prime minister for anybody on that side. Poor judgment,” Sinclair said during Friday’s sitting of the Senate, pointing to the 44 per cent reduction in murders year to date compared to 2024.

“History has shown us that the party led by Honourable Andrew Holness has always been strong in this fight. We have and will continue to apply all lawful actions necessary to reduce major crimes, save lives and restore a sense of safety for all Jamaicans,” he said.

Noting previous comments by members of the Opposition People’s National Party that he said ridiculed efforts to address gang violence, Sinclair said the JLP has shown consistent strength in the fight against crime.

“Our aspiration, Mr President, has been and will always be to create a Jamaica where Jamaicans can live with their doors and windows open. In order to achieve this country’s true growth potential, prosperity and better quality of life for all, we must have an environment of peace.

“So, Mr President it befuddles the mind that the Opposition has over the years sought to ridicule an aspirational goal of Jamaicans sleeping with doors and windows open and in so doing, it is a clear indication, and this is a response to you Senator [Lambert] Brown, that you cannot be trusted with governing Jamaica,” Sinclair said.

He recalled under the previous PNP administration, then National Security Minister Peter Bunting’s call for divine intervention to fight crime amid a rising murder toll.

“We must never forget the words of a past minister of national security under the PNP, now leader of Opposition business, in what can only be described as a weak ‘jellyback’ move when he called for a divine intervention as his best efforts could not contain a growing murder tally. We cannot go back there Mr President…We will not go back there,” he said.

Sinclair continued, “In recent times, it is the said person who has said, ‘If I return to the portfolio of minister of national security what I will do’. Mr President, it was they who underfunded the entire law enforcement apparatus, reducing their mobility and failed to improve their intelligence gathering capacity and human resource capacity.

“Under their administration, Mr President, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) were never put in a position to undertake effective policing and general law enforcement strategies to fight crime in a sustainable way,” he charged.

The senator also took aim at the PNP’s caretaker for Kingston Central, former cop Steve McGregor, who he said has expressed ambitions of stepping into the national security portfolio should his party win the next general election.

“They have somebody, aspirant as they call him, saying that well he wants to take over minister of national security position too. They have him in Kingston Central currently. But when he made some comments recently, I reflected on the fact that he was in the JCF in St James at a time when murder kept going up in St James year after year. We cannot put these persons back into such key positions,” he said.

Sinclair praised Holness and Chang for their leadership and strategic approach to crime reduction.

“Dr Andrew Holness [and] Minister Horace Chang, they are persons who are made of sterner stuff. They have exhibited great leadership. They will not throw their hands in the air, Mr President, nor will they shed tears and merely ask for a divine intervention,” he said.

He also commended members of the JCF, the Jamaica Defence Force and other critical stakeholders in law enforcement, including the Jamaica Customs Agency, for their commitment to reducing crime in the country.