Tweet
The government is being called on to provide the resources needed to hold the Maroon Elections.
The call from Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller comes on the heels of reports that the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EoJ) will not be able to assist with the elections this time.
The EoJ cites a shortage of funds for its decision.
But Mrs. Simpson Miller says this is unacceptable.
<span style="font-weight: bold">"I would like to remind the government that the importance of the Maroons to the history and development of Jamaica must not be taken lightly. The Maroons were established as a free people with their own administration by way of the Maroon Treaty of 1739 and I believe it is very important because this treaty confirmed the first defeat of the British Empire in the Western Hemisphere by a non-European force," Mrs. Simpson Miller said. </span>
Mrs. Simpson Miller adds that the recent approval and financing of a delegation to a conference in the Bahamas shows that the government will finance ventures it considers important.
"<span style="font-weight: bold">I think that the Maroon election is very important </span> and the government should move very quickly to provide the resources. I understand that it is $2 million so that they can have the election," she said.
The Maroon Council is reportedly upset with the position taken by the EoJ.
Comment