Holness to address Cockpit Country petition

With the expiration of a 30-day deadline to respond to concerns from environmental groups on a petition to 'Save the Cockpit Country', the Government, through its chief spokesman, Ruel Reid, has said Prime Minister Andrew Holness will be addressing the issue shortly.

Speaking Wednesday during a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House in St Andrew, Reid, who is the information minister, sought to assure Jamaicans that the Holness administration had the utmost regard for environmental issues.

Reid's comments came against the background of complaints by environmentalists that the Government had not responded to a petition regarding the establishment of boundaries for the Cockpit Country.

Environmental groups have charged that the Government is yet to make a formal response on the issue despite the expiration of a 30-day deadline.

"While there are some anxieties on the part of many persons, in terms of the leadership style of our PM (prime minister), we don't rush very critical decisions, and it has been before us for some time, and we dedicated several Cabinet meetings to full deliberations getting a wide cross section of persons to come in and make representation."

Reid said the Government was now "summarising its position, and so when we make the final announcement pursuant to those decisions, it would be one that we feel that the Jamaican society will accept".