Licensed to party?
Transport Authority hosted Christmas shindig for staff despite restrictions
Despite orders under the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) prohibiting the hosting of entertainment events last December as the island was on the cusp of a fourth COVID-19 wave, a government agency – the Transport Authority – hosted an illegal...
Despite orders under the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) prohibiting the hosting of entertainment events last December as the island was on the cusp of a fourth COVID-19 wave, a government agency – the Transport Authority – hosted an illegal Christmas party for its staff.
Video footage from the party, which was staged in the courtyard of the authority’s 107 Maxfield Avenue offices in St Andrew, have been obtained by The Sunday Gleaner.
Three videos were found on social media platform Instagram, corroborating reports from Sunday Gleaner sources that the illegal party happened in December last year.
The ban on entertainment events was lifted on March 18 this year, a day after Prime Minister Andrew Holness made the much-anticipated announcement during his contribution to the Budget Debate.
The videos showed a festive atmosphere with two patrons seen executing a daring dance routine while hanging from a ladder leading to the first floor of the Transport Authority’s two-storey building.
The disc jockey could be heard egging on the gyrating daredevils.
Interestingly, the Transport Authority was tagged in all three videos posted on Instagram.
One of the captions read “about last night at @transportauthorityja…thanks for having us”.
The videos were posted on December 18, 2021 by an account belonging to a disc jockey, who confirmed to The Sunday Gleaner that he provided services at the party on December 17.
A copy of a flyer issued to staff, which advertised the event, was also obtained by our news team.
“Luncheon and lyme”
The event was dubbed the ‘Regional Christmas Awards and Luncheon’, with a “casually elegant” dress code. It said that the awards functions across its regional offices were to begin at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
But, the “luncheon and lyme” set for 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The countrywide nightly curfew under the DRMA at that time started at 10 p.m.
Based on the scenes from the videos, it appears what was billed as a “luncheon and lyme” morphed into a full-blown party.
Other possible breaches of the DRMA were also observed during the revelling with hardly any of the patrons seen wearing masks. Those who donned the protective gear had them under their chins as they danced the night away.
There was not much social distancing either and it also appears the gathering limit was also being breached.
In addition to an islandwide ban on entertainment events, the Government had imposed a limit of 50 persons for persons in physical attendance at any event hosted by public entities.
“As I had indicated previously, any public event held by the Government must be a controlled event by invitation only and only attended by persons who are fully vaccinated. I have attended a few and the public sector has [done] very well in ensuring that these rules are followed,” Holness said on December 7 as he gave an update on the DRMA orders which lasted into the new year.
Several calls by The Sunday Gleaner to Willard Hylton, the Transport Authority’s managing director, went unanswered. Attempts to get a response from Chairman Joseph Shoucair were also unsuccessful.
Merdina Callum, the agency’s acting corporate communications manager, told The Sunday Gleaner that General Manager of Operations Ronald Anderson could respond to our questions.
“I’m in meeting, in a tour somewhere,” she said.
When contacted, Anderson dismissed the claim that he could speak on the matter.
“Based on our communication policy, the authority’s communications manager or the managing director will have to speak to you. For me to speak on a matter that sensitive, I would have to get that direction from either the managing director or the chairman,” stressing that Callum was the person authorised to speak on such matters.
Sign of inequality
Opposition Spokesman on Transport Mikael Phillips called for sanctions when The Sunday Gleaner contacted him about footage of the illegal Christmas party on the grounds of the government agency.
“Those who are responsible, if they are employed to the Transport Authority, ought to be brought to book. And those who are in breach should either be sent on suspension or relieved of their positions,” Phillips said.
He said the situation reinforces the notion that all Jamaicans are not equal.
“It cannot be that we have asked Jamaicans to follow the law and those who are in charge of also enforcing the law are wantonly breaking the law, so it is something that would still be of concern and those who are guilty of the breach [must be] brought to book,” he insisted.
“As we have been saying, there is one rule for one set of Jamaicans and another rule for another set. If that is so, even though the laws governing the DRMA have been somewhat put aside now, that should be looked into.”



