Holness’ unusual airport walk due to J’can embassy error

Amid reports that Prime Minister Andrew Holness was recently forced to enter the United States (US) without the usual benefits afforded heads of government and other diplomats, The Gleaner has been informed that while there was an unusual occurrence on July 15, it was due to an internal error within the Jamaican embassy and not because of any supposed row between the nations.

Addressing the concerns, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, acknowledged that the prime minister did indeed take an irregular route through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at an airport in Florida but that he was not subjected to a search or asked to remove his jacket or shoes as has been rumoured.

Under normal circumstances, the prime minister would have been escorted through a private area of the airport.

The incident, Johnson Smith pointed out, was due to a clerical error made by an employee of the Jamaican embassy and not the result of any action taken by the United States Government.

She said she would be receiving a report on the matter, which was being taken seriously.

Same-sex couple

Some persons who were aware of the unusual sight of Holness making his way through the TSA line at an American airport have been speculating over whether the incident was further evidence of recent claims that the US has been taking steps to punish the Jamaica Government for its stance on issues such as providing diplomatic immunity to, and officially recognising, the same-sex spouse of a diplomat scheduled to be posted to the island.

It was suggested last week that Jamaica’s refusal to provide diplomatic benefits to the same-sex spouse, as same-sex unions are not recognised in Jamaican law, had resulted in the US State Department refusing to extend the diplomatic visas of a number of the island’s officials in that country.

This claim has, however, been rubbished by both Jamaica and the US, both of which have indicated that there is no row between the nations. The US has gone further to note that its decision to no longer grant automatic renewals of diplomatic visas was made and announced three years ago, long before the issue related to its diplomat and his spouse.

Yesterday, Robert Morgan, minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for information, claimed that recent suggestions of a fracturing of the relationship between Jamaica and the US were politically motivated.

“There has been a clear attempt by some local political forces to spread misinformation to undermine the strong relationship we have with international partners,” Morgan told The Gleaner.

“Several messages are being circulated that can easily be disproven.”

“There has never been a Jamaican government that has had so many successes in the diplomatic field over such a short period of time.

“Their strategy is to undermine the fact of Jamaica’s foreign policy success to sway local public sentiment.”