Farewell To Late Minister At JLP Headquarters

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, led mourners in paying their last respects to the late Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Shahine Robinson, at the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) headquarters in St. Andrew, today (June 16), where her body was taken for public viewing.

Mr. Holness arrived at the Belmont Road location at about 9:00 a.m. and formed a guard of honour with his wife, the Most Hon. Juliet Holness, along with other members of the Government, as police officers carried the flag-draped casket into the building.

Hundreds of mourners also looked on. They later got the opportunity to pay their last respects by filing past the closed casket, while the police officers stood guard.

Two previous closed-casket viewings were held on Thursday (June 11) at the St. Ann Parish Church, St. Ann’s Bay, and Friday (June 12) at the St. John’s Anglican Church Hall in Ocho Rios, St. Ann.

The Cabinet previously approved a period of mourning from Wednesday, June 10 to Tuesday, June 16, and an official funeral.

Mourner, Janice Anderson, told JIS News that although the sun was hot and there were social distancing protocols in place, she stood outside the gates of the JLP to witness the casket being brought inside the JLP headquarters for viewing.

“She was a good woman. She worked hard for the people of Jamaica and gave her all to serving others. She will be greatly missed. I am here because I want to show my gratitude for what she has done for Jamaicans,” she said.

Another mourner, Paul Burke, said Mrs. Robinson was “a nice person, always willing to serve the people”.

Hundreds of mourners have also been paying tribute by signing condolence books at: Parliament for Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate; the Office of the Prime Minister for Cabinet Ministers and public officials; and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security for Ministry staff and the general public.

Mrs. Robinson came to national prominence in 2001 after she won the by-election for the Jamaica Labour Party. Since that time, she has not lost the seat.

She served as Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) from September 2007 to July 2011; Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government, July 2011; and Minister of Transport and Works, November 2011.

From 2016 to the time of her death, Mrs. Robinson served as Minister of Labour and Social Security.

Mrs. Robinson was appointed Minister of Labour and Social Security in March 2016, following the JLP’s victory in the general election held a month earlier.

She also represented the constituency of North East St. Ann for 19 years until her death on May 29 at the age of 66.

Mrs. Robinson was born on July 4, 1953 to parents Peter and Kathleen and raised in Claremont, St. Ann.

She graduated from Immaculate Conception High School and went on to Miami Dade College in the United States, where she earned an Associate Degree in Marketing and a Diploma in Public Relations.