LOOK AT the LAW

Fri, 09/30/2016 - 12:00am

 

“We need to look at it.” These were the words of Prime Minister (Ag.) Richard Sealy yesterday when he made reference to an issue that has had many Barbadians on social media up in arms over the past 
few days. With several businesses opening there doors during the island-wide shutdown for Tropical Storm Matthew, members of the public have been taking the employers to task and asking whether or not these actions were legal.
 
Speaking at the Department of Emergency Management during the official address to the nation after the all-clear was given yesterday morning, Minister Sealy said that he was aware of the situation and called it a ‘very naughty issue’, which was receiving the attention of Minister of Home Affairs and Attorney General, Adriel Brathwaite. 
 
“It is always a very touchy issue on how we manage these events, but the decisions relating, for example, to closing businesses and schools was in the interest of public safety and by of information, for members of the public. It is not done on a whim. There is a committee composed of private sector, public sector individuals who work through the night and who assess based on the meteorological reports and we do these things in the interest of public safety and I can say that the public has generally co-operated and we want to thank them,” he said.
 

Drawing attention to the National Emergency Operations Committee (NEOC), which makes recommendations and decisions during states of emergency, Sealy explained that there are protocols that are expected to be followed. 

 

“We have protocols in place and we expect people to abide to them. The NEOC and all of the various committees that are subordinate to it are private sector and public sector so that we can work together on these issues. You don’t like to have to legislate everything. You would expect that where national safety is concerned, where life and limb is concerned, we should be able to work together. Do we have to look at it? Maybe we do. I did hear these reports of a major business place that opted to stay open and of course that was appropriately dealt with, but I would rather not say anything specifically on that specific case. I happen to know the proprietor quite well and I would be curious to hear his side before I say anything publicly on it. But generally speaking, we expect people to cooperate because these decisions are made in the interest of safety, of life and of saving lives.” he said.

 

With the issue not being as black and white as expected, Minister Sealy said that discussion was needed at all levels to hash out an understanding of what the various procedures were when it came to events of this nature and the like. “There is a protocol in place but we need to inform people a little better on it because there are critical operations that you would expect to have a head-start on members of the public in order to get the country back to normalcy in the most efficient and organised manner. Those are some issues that are receiving the attention of the Ministry of Home Affairs and of the Department of Emergency Management. One of the points coming out of the of the consultation with the NEOC was that this was for all intents and purposes, just a skirmish. We have to learn from it in the event that we do have a full-fledged major impact of an event of some nature. It might not even be a hurricane, but we have t learn from these experiences so that we can better hone the machinery that will govern in these circumstances.” he said. (MP)

 

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