The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has doubled down on its call for the implementation of a comprehensive social media policy for government officials.
It comes after a photograph of Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Sports Minister Olivia Grange, former PNP Prime Minister Percival James Patterson and cricket fans was posted to Ms. Grange’s social media pages yesterday.
However, in the accompanying caption, Mr. Holness and Ms. Grange were acknowledged while Mr. Patterson was not.
The situation prompted outrage from several social media users, who described the action as disrespectful, claiming it was indicative of political tribalism.
In a statement today, Opposition Spokesperson on Information, Nekeisha Burchell lamented that despite significant outcry from the public, the caption remained unchanged for nearly 14 hours.
This morning, additional photos with captions highlighting Mr. Patterson, were posted.
However, Ms. Burchell said last night’s incident represents a worrying trend of improper management and oversight of government social media pages.
She highlighted a previous incident where images of former PNP Prime Ministers were posted to the social media pages of Government Minister, Alando Terrelonge and covered with emojis.
Ms. Burchell wants the Government, especially, Minister with responsibility for Information and Digital Transformation, Senator Dr. Dana Morris Dixon to address the issue.
She said there should be a robust social media policy that would streamline official Government sources, ensure primary spaces for public information, and offer oversight and management.
