Written by: Sugar Ray Thomas

Opposition Spokesperson on Works, Lothan Cousins is rejecting what he described as attempts by Transport Minister Daryl Vaz to attribute the toll adjustment mechanism to the previous People’s National Party (PNP) administration.

Yesterday, the Minister said the binding concession agreement negotiated by the previous PNP Government did not augur well for Jamaicans.

A notice was published yesterday, listing the proposed toll increases, which led to public outcry.

In a statement today, Mr. Cousins said the principal agreements that established the framework for the North South Highway project were negotiated and executed under the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) administration in 2011.

Cousins said Jamaicans deserve honesty on the factors driving the toll increases and not what he termed, political blame shifting.

And, in response to the comments by Cousins, Vaz chastised the spokesman for attempting to remove responsibility from the then PNP administration regarding the concession agreement that was signed six months after the PNP won the December 2011 general election.

Vaz said the then PNP Government should have negotiated new terms before the agreement was signed in 2012, which would be beneficial to the Jamaican people today.