Holness promises accountability measures coming for ministers, MPs
Published:Saturday | May 20, 2023 | 1:05 AM
Amid a wave of criticism over the massive wage hike for Jamaican elected officials, the Government has crafted a “series” of accountability measures, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has disclosed.
Holness said details of the measures are to be announced “shortly”.
“I have said to my MPs [members of parliament] and I’ve said to the ministers that the cost of this policy is accountability,” he said yesterday as he addressed a handover ceremony under the new Social Housing Programme in North East St Catherine.
“Every single MP, all ministers are now committed to ensuring that they earn the salary. They understand that.”
The prime minister said the Government was unable to put the accountability measures in place first because of how the wage hikes unfolded.
He said the “arguments” with the parliamentary caucus of the governing Jamaica Labour Party were to prove to the public “even harder than we were working before” that the wage increases are justified.
“They understand that accountability issues are foremost in the minds of the people and that we must do tangible things.”
Holness’ utterances come amid calls by two of the country’s most powerful private sector lobbies for the Government to take urgent steps to pass a long-delayed bill that provides for the impeachment of parliamentarians who run afoul of the law or are found to be involved in corrupt practices.
The proposed law, the Constitution (Amendment) (Impeachment) bill, was tabled by Opposition Leader Mark Golding in May 2021, but has been languishing on Parliament’s Order Paper for more than two years without any timeline for it to be debated.
The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association have both called for the debate and passage of the proposed impeachment law to be done swiftly.
They argued that it is necessary to ensure that politicians are held to account for misusing public resources and neglecting their duties.