Phillips, sector groups discuss governance issues

Leader of the Opposition Dr Peter Phillips met yesterday with members of several sector groups at his West Kings House Road office in St Andrew.

The groups comprised the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters' Association, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, the Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches, and National Integrity Action (NIA).

The meeting was initiated by the joint group amid corruption allegations affecting the administration, specifically in relation to the scandal at the nation's sole oil refinery, PetroJam.

According to a press statement from the office of the opposition leader, the meeting sought to address current governance challenges, offering key points of resolution, and underscored the importance of integrity and credibility in leadership, particularly at the political level.

"We discussed the challenges of governance, which currently arise in the country and which have been brought to a head by the PetroJam issues," Phillips said.

"We exchanged many useful ideas in our wide-ranging discussion, and we offered support to their five-point action plan, which they presented. We also took the opportunity to present some ideas of our own," he added.

The opposition leader assured the group of his lifelong commitment to the principles of integrity and the history of the People's National Party in its stance against corrupt practices.

He said that the party has always taken action against its ministers in the face of corruption accusations.

Phillips reiterated that as the leader of the PNP, integrity was a value that he held dearly and that the party was determined to maintain the highest standards of probity and a demonstrable and decisive intolerance of corruption in any future government.