Repeal of buggery law at bottom of the pile - Gov't

JAMAICANS WHO are in favour of a repeal of the buggery law may have to wait a while longer before the issue is brought to Parliament as the Government has indicated the subject is not among its priorities at this time.

Minister with responsibility for information, Sandrea Falconer, responding to questions during yesterday's weekly Jamaica House press briefing, said the issue has come up at Cabinet, but has been placed on the back burner.

"It is a matter that we have discussed, but most of the bills that we have focused on are bills that deal with the economy and those are the immediate bills," Falconer said.

During the run-up to last year's general election, Portia Simpson Miller, now prime minister, said she would support a conscience vote in Parliament on whether the buggery law should be repealed.

For the matter to be brought to Parliament for consideration, it has to be taken by the Government in the form of a bill, or by way of a motion tabled by any member.

Yesterday, Daryl Vaz, an opposition member of parliament, said while the economy was important, the matter of buggery was "a very serious concern that is facing the country" and the Government must lead on the issue by deciding whether the practice remains illegal.

"If it requires a motion being brought by me on this matter in 2013, I am prepared to do so," Vaz told The Gleaner.

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In the meantime, Falconer said the Government was seeking to make the best use of the resources available within the Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel. She said the body, which is responsible for drafting laws, is "extremely burdened and very short-staffed" and that the Government has decided it is better to focus on economic and crime-related bills.

"We fast-track things like the Evidence Act, so that we can allow for the admission of evidence by video link so that we can deal with issues that have been of concern to the vast majority of Jamaicans," Falconer said.

She added: "Not that the buggery law is not of concern to a segment of the population, but the issues like crime and the economy, we decided that we are going to give those our priority in terms of the legislation that we pass this year."