Leader of the Opposition, Mark Golding, has told National Security Minister, Dr Horace Chang that he is treading on a “slippery slope” following comments made by Chang that the democratically-elected Government “cannot be vetoed in carrying out executive action in the face of crisis”.

Golding warned Chang that such talk threatened the very foundations of governance in the country.

The warning was triggered after Chang, during a wide-ranging address on crime in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, asserted that it is “inappropriate to block executive attempts in the interest of the people”.

The Government has relied heavily on states of emergency (SOEs) to combat the crime scourge which has seen on average 1,300 people murdered annually in Jamaica. However, the SOEs, which are widely popular with Jamaicans, especially those living in crime-plagued inner-city communities where the homicide rates are highest, were discontinued on the eve of the September 3, 2020 General Elections.

While the Government has a super majority in the House of Representatives and would need no support from the Opposition, it would need at least one Opposition senator to throw his or her support behind the Government for the SOEs to be brought back.

The Opposition has already stated that it will not be supporting any return to SOEs and any hope the Government has of doing so soon, faces legal hurdles following a Supreme Court ruling last year that determined that the prolonged detention of five men under the SOEs was unconstitutional.

Chang, who along with Police Commissioner, Major General Antony Anderson, continues to signal his preference for SOEs, argued that while the elected Government has a responsibility to respect the rights of the people, it must also ensure that other individuals also respect the rights of all citizens.

Golding, in his response to Chang, stated that the executive is obligated to operate within the framework of the country’s laws, the Constitution in particular. He told his fellow Members of Parliament (MPs) that all 63 House Members had sworn an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of Jamaica.

“If we lose sight of that, we are on a slippery slope away from a Government ruled by laws, to a Government ruled by power, uncircumscribed by law, which is a dangerous country for us, and we don’t want to go there,” said Golding.