By Denise Clarke and Petulia Clarke, Staff ReportersTHE POLICE in western Jamaica began mobilising last night amid reports of planned protests and civil unrest today against the increases in motor vehicle licensing fees and other taxes which came into effect last Wednesday.
At the same time, Government spokesmen appealed to would-be protesters to reconsider their plans, the People's National Party (PNP) accused the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) of quietly supporting the protests and the JLP denied involvement.
In St. Elizabeth, police who began parish-wide patrols at 6 o'clock yesterday evening, were prepared to quash any demonstration before it got off the ground, Herman Brown, superintendent in charge of the parish, told The Gleaner yesterday.
"As of tonight, the police will be patrolling every district and this will intensify in the morning. We are not taking any chances," he said.
In St. James, Constable Peter Salkey, the Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) liaison officer, said the police were prepared for any eventuality. "All our human resources are intact and the police will be properly deployed to deal with the situation. We don't know what to expect but we will put things in place to deal with it, if it does occur," Constable Salkey said.
The CCN officer noted, however, that the police did not have sufficient information as to who was behind the planned protests. "We just heard that persons are planning to demonstrate. We don't know if it is just taxi men or if it involves other persons," he said.
Reports began circulating over the weekend that groups of taxi drivers were planning demonstrations. Some reports claimed the JLP was the mastermind behind the proposed protest action, a charge the party has denied.
In its statement, the PNP rebuked the Opposition for adopting a neutral position towards the potential civil disturbances, which, it said, would disrupt the business of the country.
"Regrettably, the reports of planned protest action also indicate that the Opposition has at least had knowledge of the protesters' intentions, and that some members of its leadership are adopting a neutral position," the PNP said. "We believe that these reports do not reflect the best intentions of the JLP."
Contacted yesterday, Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, one of the JLP's Deputy Leaders, said despite the PNP's charges that the Opposition knew about the protesters' intentions, they were not involved in the plans.
"We are not involved. I don't know where the PNP got that information," said Ms. Grange, the party's information spokesperson.
At the same time, Minister of Information, Burchell Whiteman, in his capacity as Deputy Chairman of the PNP, called on the Government to "fully inform" the public on matters relating to the economy and the necessity for the changes in fees being paid by motorists.
In a separate statement, Dennis Morrison, chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), called on persons planning to take protest action to reconsider their action in light of the likely "disastrous consequences" for the recovering industry.
The protests are said to have been planned against the background of a new round of taxes announced in December by Dr. Omar Davies, the Minister of Finance and Planning, to plug a gap in the budget. The new taxes, introduced in its Supplementary Budget after the Government promised no new taxes in its budget presentation at the start of the 2002/2003 fiscal year in April, last year, are expected to raise $205 million in revenues to help finance the $13.5 billion increase in the state's expenses.
The increased taxes cover motor vehicle licences and examination fees, gun licences, as well as more stringent penalties for traffic violations, Customs and income tax breaches. Motor vehicle fees, which were last increased in 1999, have moved from $750 to $1,500 for a fitness certificate, while the licensing charges have moved up by 33 per cent in all categories. The fees will now range from a low of $700 in the motorcycle category to a high of $8,000 for heavy-duty trucks and tractors.
The JLP has since accused the Finance and Planning Minister of deceiving the public with hidden taxes.
Yesterday, the PNP said it rejected any action that threatened the good of the country and that impeded the free movement of citizens.
"The party urges all well-thinking Jamaicans to reject and oppose any such actions, which are clearly calculated to create personal inconvenience and public disorder," the PNP statement said. "The records will show that each time an event of this nature has occurred in Jamaica, it has severely affected the progress of our country towards economic growth and social development."
The PNP said it was particularly concerned about the impact civil disturbances could have on the tourism industry, which has had "favourable forecasts".
The CCN said it was not aware of any specific plans that has been put in place to reduce the impact of widespread disturbances, but said the police were "always ready for any eventualities."
In his statement, Mr. Morrison said persons contemplating disruptive behaviour should note that petrol prices were being affected by global developments and conflicts.
"Oil prices are currently being increased even in oil-producing countries," he said. "We must not defeat ourselves. Protests which are disruptive will not alleviate the situation and will merely serve to worsen our position by the negative effect on areas such as tourism, which have the ability to jump-start other sectors of our Jamaican economy in a difficult period worldwide."
(Additional reporting by Petulia Clarke.)
