Opposition issues warning

THE PARLIAMENTARY Opposition has warned that if the annual report of the Integrity Commission sent to Parliament on June 29, 2023, is not tabled at today’s sitting of the Senate and the next meeting of the Lower House, it will take necessary action to register a strong protest against “this unacceptable undermining of good governance in our country”.

In a news release yesterday, the Opposition said it believed that the Speaker of the House and the Senate President had no authority to “impede the timely and seamless publication of these crucial reports”.

Leader of the Opposition Mark Golding said that the Speaker and Senate president serve as “mere conduits through which reports from the Integrity Commission” are to be presented to parliamentarians in both Houses and subsequently become available to the public.

“The delay or interference in this process creates the perception that politically unfavourable information is being withheld from the public domain. This is dangerous as it is inconsistent with both the rule of law and the principle of transparent governance in our democracy. It also undermines the fight against corruption, an issue of paramount importance for our nation at this time,” Golding said.

Golding said that the Opposition “vehemently opposes all attempts to hinder the public dissemination of the reports of the Integrity Commission and the Office of the Auditor General, which serve as crucial tools in exposing and tackling acts of corruption within our country”.