The Opposition is serving notice that it will be closely following the investigations (and subsequent prosecutions) of the participants in the video that led to Floyd Green’s resignation as minister of agriculture.

In a release the part y said that, while resignations are a start, fairness requires that the participants be treated no differently than the more than 2,000 persons who have been arrested and charged for breaches of the regulations under the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA).

“We expect the JCF to act with the same urgency which was applied to the case of Dayne Mitchell, also featured in a video breaching the DRMA, and who was subsequently arrested and fined $60,000 (or 90 days in prison),” said Senator Peter Bunting, the shadow spokesman on national security.

“To maintain organisational credibility, the JCF must treat the DRMA Regulations as ‘the law of the Medes and Persians’ and apply to all,” Bunting added.

He said the Opposition also noted the precedent set by the JCF, in the case of Councillor Kari Douglas, that exemptions under the DRMA Regulations are specific to persons carrying out their official duties.

Therefore, the Opposition argued, neither Green; Jamaica Labour Party Councillor Andrew Bellamy; Dave
Powell, landfill director at the National Solid Waste Management Authority; Gabrielle Hilton, advisor in the Ministry of Agriculture; and any other public officials who might have participated should be treated the same as any other citizen of Jamaica.

Said the Opposition: “The authenticity of the video is not in question as it has precipitated a number of resignations. However, the police can obtain further corroborating evidence from the CCTV footage and the registration system of the hotel, in addition to statements from participants and restaurant staff.”