PRESS ASSOCIATION CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO IMMEDIATELY RESUME POST-CABINET PRESS BRIEFINGS

Tags: Jamaica, Post Cabinet Press Briefing, Press Association of Jamaica, press freedom

PAJ President Dionne Jackson Miller

May 10, 2018: The Press Association of Jamaica is calling for the government to resume, as a matter of urgency, the traditional post-Cabinet press briefings.

There have been no post-Cabinet briefings held since the start of the year. The last such briefing was held in November last year, and they were held very irregularly throughout 2017, the PAJ notes.

“The government seems to have effectively abandoned the post-Cabinet press briefings,” says PAJ President Dionne Jackson Miller,

“This is unacceptable. For years, the weekly meetings have been the forum in which reporters have been able to question Government Ministers on matters arising from the weekly Cabinet meetings, as well as other issues of national interest as they arise. They have been held regularly by previous administrations, both JLP and PNP, and we call on the Andrew Holness administration to continue this valuable democratic tradition,” she says.

The PAJ notes that it is not contending that the government has held no press briefings, as there have been several in the past few months, but usually relating to specific issues such as the imposition of a State of Public Emergency or the establishment of Zones of Special Operations. In addition, the PAJ says it acknowledges the quarterly press briefings which the Prime Minister has held.

The PAJ says it is referring specifically to the weekly press conferences which the media community regards as an important forum in which to question and engage the government on a variety of matters.

The PAJ notes that it has also received complaints about the ability of Ministers who have attended the briefings to actually answer questions from the press.

The Association points out that over the years, the Ministers presiding at these briefings have been able to handle wide-ranging questions from the media, on a variety of important subjects.

The Association therefore calls on the government to ensure not only that the weekly meetings resume, but that the Ministers presiding can actually answer questions asked by the press.

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PAJ Calls for Debates to Go On

Tags: democracy, general election 2016, Jamaica, National Political Debates

Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller
Photo: Wikimedia

The Press Association of Jamaica is alarmed at news that the National Political Debates may not be held.

The PAJ wishes to put on record its belief that it is of national importance that the Debates be held, with the participation of both major political parties.

“The election campaign is very short, which already limits the amount of time the public and media have to probe the positions of the individual candidates and their parties. To eliminate what has become an important source of information for the public would be a huge step backwards, and one we would condemn strongly,” says PAJ President Dionne Jackson Miller.

The Association believes it would be unacceptable in a modern Jamaican democracy for either of the parties to refuse the public the opportunity to see and hear its representatives questioned about issues of national importance. The PAJ is therefore urging the two parties to find other avenues to work out their differences, and not use the political debates for that purpose. The Association in particular calls on the People’s National Party, as the party which has not yet signed off on the agreement for the debates, to do so in the national interest.

The PAJ commends the Debates Commission for its tremendous work over the years in staging the national political debates, and calls for all well-thinking Jamaicans and civil society organisations to speak out, and join the call to ensure that the National Political Debates are again held, as the public expects.

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The Prime Minister’s letter to the PAJ

Tags: Jamaica, prime minister, tivoli Gardens

Please view PAJ’s letter to the Prime Minister here.

Dear Mr Buckley
I am puzzled at your suggestion that I had a duty to invite the media to accompany me on my visit to Tivoli Gardens last Wednesday.

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Professor Rex Nettleford: A Mentor to Journalists

Tags: Death, Jamaica, Nettleford

The Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) joins the national, regional and international community in saluting the memory of Professor Rex Nettleford, who passed away on Tuesday (February 2)…

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