KINGSTON, Jamaica — The People’s National Party (PNP) is demanding that the Government immediately table the full memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Third Country Nationals (TCN) in Parliament.

According to the PNP, in a press release on Thursday, the Government’s latest update confirms it is pressing ahead while still refusing to tell Jamaicans what they are being exposed to.

It said a joint statement from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and National Security and Peace announced finalised operating procedures and guardrails, yet disclosed none of them. The party said it does not say how many foreign nationals will enter Jamaica, where they will be housed, how long they will stay, who is paying, or how criminal records will be verified.

Opposition Spokesman on National Security, Fitz Jackson, said: “This is not an update. It is an announcement that the Government has decided and the people will be told nothing. Jamaicans are being asked to trust a secret agreement that touches their security, their communities and their public services.”

“Around the world, these arrangements have been marked by hidden payments and weak oversight. Once again, this Government has shown an autocratic disregard for Parliament and for the people’s right to know. This is a further erosion of our democratic traditions,” he continued.

The PNP is calling on the Government to publish the MOU and its operating procedures, disclose all funding sources and any benefit to Jamaica, explain the vetting process, and state what happens to the TCNs if the ten asylum applications that trigger suspension are received. The Opposition said Parliament must debate the agreement before any TCN arrives.

“Jamaicans must not tolerate this growing pattern of bullying by the Government. Silence is not governance,” Jackson added.

READ: No start date as yet to TCN agreement — Johnson Smith