Four-day visit to US part of strategic mission, says PM

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said that his recent four-day visit to the United States (US), during which he met with top US officials, was part of his Government’s strategic mission.

Speaking Wednesday night, during a virtual Diaspora Town Hall meeting hosted by Jamaica’s ambassador to the US, Audrey Marks, the prime minister said he met with the Secretary of the US Navy, President Joe Biden’s security advisor Jake Sullivan, officials of the US Department of Justice and heads of agencies that fall under the department, as well as top congressional representatives, including head of the finance committee.

The discussions, the prime minister said, ranged from trade, finance to security issues.

“The pending American Trade and Investment Act currently before congress was one area of discussion,” the prime minister pointed out.

He also said he discussed a number of security issues with US officials, including youth rehabilitation.

During his presentation, the prime minister touched on a number of topics, including duties on items donated to Jamaica from diaspora organisations, crime and security and productivity, which he said was the new emphasis of the administration.

UNITY KEY

He said that if the country is not careful, crime and violence could become a part of the Jamaican brand.

“If we can come together to treat with crime and violence, we can be successful in reducing crime,” the prime minister told participants in the town hall.

The prime minister said the diaspora has a role to play in guiding the conversation in the controlling of crime in Jamaica.

“If each family member reached out and discuss the issue of crime, the issue could be better controlled,” he said.

He said the partnership in controlling crime is the responsibility of each and every Jamaican at home and abroad.

Holness said that, although hate speech is not prevalent in Jamaica, the Government was mindful of that issue and was taking steps to control it.

The prime minister fielded a number of questions from audience members on a wide range of issues with the town hall going well beyond the originally set cut-off time.

Joining Holness at the town hall meeting was Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade.

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