Chang: Still a role for political referee
Published:Thursday | November 17, 2022 | 12:11 AM
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The governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has signalled that it is committed to retaining the Office of the Political Ombudsman. But instead of being a stand-alone commission of Parliament, the office could see its functions subsumed under the...
The governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has signalled that it is committed to retaining the Office of the Political Ombudsman.
But instead of being a stand-alone commission of Parliament, the office could see its functions subsumed under the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ), JLP General Secretary Dr Horace Chang has hinted.
Established by the Political Ombudsman (Interim) Act 2002, the office is mandated to investigate actions taken by a political party, its members, or supporters that constitute, or are likely to constitute, a breach of the Code of Conduct agreed on between political parties in Jamaica.
But the office was left in limbo on Tuesday when the seven-year tenure of then Political Ombudsman Donna Parchment came to an end without a replacement being named.
Chang, who is Jamaica’s deputy prime minister, noted that while political tension in the country has subsided, there is still a role for the office.
“The level of disputes to be mediated has significantly reduced … compared to the tension between the political parties back in the ‘70s and ‘80s. But we need the office to continue,” he said during a Gleaner Editors’ Forum at the newspaper’s central Kingston offices on Wednesday.
Chang, who is also minister of national security, disclosed that there are “significant discussions” within the ranks of the JLP on whether the Office of the Political Ombudsman should be placed under the ECJ.
No decision has been taken, he said.
Chang disagreed with suggestions that asking the ECJ to adjudicate on political issues could tarnish the goodwill it has developed over the years.
“They do that every day. And bear in mind, the Electoral Commission has authority, which the ombudsman doesn’t have,” he said.
The JLP general secretary said whether it is a new appointee or the office is subsumed in the ECJ, all aspects of it operations need to be examined.
Chang, in expressing his personal views, said though lawmakers must be monitored, they should also be given the freedom to govern.
“The electorate is the ultimate monitor, but the Government of the country is the responsibility of elected officials, and we have to be careful we don’t tie them up with too much independent commissions [of Parliament] that don’t have the [same] kind of accountability,” he said.