Stakeholders call for enforcement of jet ski ban
Published:Saturday | March 1, 2014 | 12:00 AM
Claudia Gardner, Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Stakeholders in Negril have expressed satisfaction with the recent announcement by Minister of Tourism Wykeham McNeill of steps to regularise jet ski operations across the island. They have, however, again warned that without the accompanying enforcement officers, efforts could be futile.
McNeill's move came just over a week after members of the Negril Resort Board blasted his ministry for inaction in curtailing illegal jet ski operations, following three jet ski accidents, two of them fatal, in Negril and Ocho Rios. The most recent of the three was the death of an American visitor who was vacationing with his wife at the Travellers Resort in Negril just over three weeks ago.
"They are moving in the right direction," operator of the Charela Inn Hotel, Daniel Grizzle, told Western Focus. "Once that is being done, what he (McNeill) has to ensure is that preparation is being done so it can be enforced when people violate. Are we going to have Marine Police available to enforce these rules and regulations? Because if we don't have people to enforce, it really means nothing because we had rules and regulations before, but they weren't enforced.
"It is nice to hear all that, but we really have to find out how we are gonna enforce it. And once we are assured that the enforcement will be there, then fine. But right now, it's a question of 'let's wait and see what happens'. Because with the best of intentions and no enforcement, we will be right back to square one, waiting for another fatal accident," he reiterated.
Two weeks ago, McNeill announced in Parliament that effective immediately, there would be a ban on the importation of all jet skis for a further six months, up to October 15, 2014; a temporary suspension of jet ski operations, and a lifting of the moratorium on licensing new commercial operators "in order to allow for the regularisation of the commercial operations". He also said the Maritime Authority of Jamaica would take steps to register all jet skis and that registered operators would be issued with registration certificates and colour-coded decals.
Task force
McNeill promised that drafting instructions would be issued to the Chief Parliamentary Council for the amendment of The Tourist Board Act to allow fines for breaches to be increased from $20,000 to $500,000. He also said Water Sports Regulations would be amended to give "the Crown the power to dispose of water sports vessels seized" and to prohibit persons under 17 years from operating commercial jet skis without an accompanying adult, and that a task force would be formed from "relevant ministries and their agencies to effect the changes".
"The impact of these (jet ski) incidents has been far-reaching and has triggered negative public commentary both locally and internationally, particularly from Jamaica's largest source market in the United States of America," McNeill said.
Vice-chairman of the Hanover Parish Development Committee, Leonard Sharpe, said the success of the new measures would be solely dependent on the effectiveness of the marine police in Negril.
"The only way those laws will be effective is if we have Marine Police trained and stationed in the Negril area because even if you put the laws in place, people are still going to break them. Not everybody will conform if you don't have adequate numbers of Marine Police there to patrol the waters," Sharpe said.
He added: "I am satisfied with the minister's statements, yes, but he needs to come and have dialogue with the people, and the man who is responsible for the Maritime Authority, needs to come as well because the minister just stay in a Parliament and jus say him a go put some laws together and ban it fi six months. So what happen to the livelihoods of the people? They have children to go to school, and that is the only means of support they have."