The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, PSOJ says it’s aligned with the opposition on a number of positions relating to national security.

These include that the security forces should maintain a presence in violence-prone hot spots after the States of Emergency expire and that the development of the enhanced security measures which seek to target violence producers, should be concluded in short order.

The PSOJ says the opposition has expressed willingness to work collaboratively with the government in a spirit of mutual respect a position it wholeheartedly endorses.

Members of the PSOJ Executive met with Opposition Leader Mark Golding, and Spokesman on National Security Peter Bunting, to discuss national security matters and to work towards strengthening the relationship between the PSOJ and the Opposition.

The meeting was arranged to facilitate open dialogue on the divergent views of the PNP and the PSOJ on the use of State of Public Emergency as a tool in the government’s crime strategies.

The PNP has consistently raised concerns about the constitutionality of the measure and reiterated its disagreement with using the SOEs as an ongoing crime-fighting tool.

Meantime the opposition reiterated its willingness to assist the government with drafting  the Enhanced Security Measures, ESMs, targeting violence producers  with the objective of completing them before Christmas.

The ESMs are critical to Jamaica’s crime reduction strategies, and the PSOJ is strongly encouraging the government to engage the opposition through this process to bring this matter to a close in the best interest of Jamaica.