The Opposition People's National Party is expressing concern at the appointment of Trevor MacMillan as a Senator and Minister of National Security,

The Opposition Leader is concerned that after a promise by the JLP of a "lean and mean" Cabinet, another member is being added to what is already the largest Cabinet in the history of Jamaica.

The Opposition is also disappointed at the haphazard manner in which this critical appointment has been made, with "confirmation" of the appointment in the public domain prior to an official statement from the Prime Minister.

The national security portfolio is a critical subject in any democracy in the best of times. It is that ministry above all others, which is responsible for guiding the nation in the pursuit of good order and protection of its citizens.

Against this background, Opposition Leader, Portia Simpson Miller, said "The representatives of the people should have a colleague in that House to ask questions and to whom direct representation can be made, and who faces the same kind of challenges as they do, in their own constituencies"

The Opposition further feels that where two Ministers have been assigned portfolio responsibility for national security, if the person leading the ministry is not in the House of Representatives, then at the very least, his deputy should be from that House.

May 12, 2008

Contact:
Peter Bunting
Party General Secretary
Tel: (876) 978-1337
Email: