Barnett urges critics to be respectful, rational in judging Integrity Commission

Attorney-at-law and founding member of the Jamaican Bar Association (JBA) Dr Lloyd Barnett says the country should seek to support and build up Jamaica’s chief anti-corruption body rather than tear it down.

“Therefore, the criticisms they make of it, assuming they make errors, the criticisms should be measured and respectful because the people who are appointed are appointed on the basis of a record of national performance and trust in their integrity and their abilities,” the veteran lawyer told The Gleaner on Monday.

According to Barnett, the Government established institutions like the Integrity Commission to combat corruption.

He said it was not only important to establish institutions but to ensure that these bodies perform efficiently and that they are accorded reasonable respect.

Barnett, however, reasoned that showing respect to these institutions does not mean that they should not be criticised in a rational and respectful manner.

Barnett said the legislative framework that underpins the IC makes the anti-corruption body fairly advanced when compared with similar institutions in other countries.

The IC has the primary mandate to fight corruption through the development, implementation, and enforcement of anti-corruption legislation, policies, and initiatives.

The constitutional lawyer argues that questions relating to corruption by politicians constitute an international problem in many jurisdictions, including the most advanced countries around the world.

Noting that corruption is a great threat to democracy, Barnett said some countries that are hit by a wave of corruption and rumours about corruption usually descend into anarchy.

Last week, chairman of the IC, retired Justice Seymour Panton, accused some lawmakers of using the cover of parliamentary privilege to launch personal attacks on persons connected to the commission.

In the annual report of the IC, tabled in Parliament on July 11, Panton said some parliamentarians have used “abusive, disrespectful, and libellous language” in their verbal tirade against persons connected to the commission.