Simpson Miller to defend foreign trips
Published:Tuesday | February 11, 2014 | 12:00 AM
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller will today in Gordon House, the seat of Jamaica's Parliament, defend her travels abroad since 2012 as the parliamentary Opposition prepares to grill the head of Government on public spending for her trips.
The full cost of overseas travel by members of the administration since January 2012, when she took office, will also be highlighted.
The prime minister is expected to respond to a number of questions posed by Opposition Leader Andrew Holness on December 11, 2013.
The debate on Simpson Miller's trips abroad has been ongoing since The Sunday Gleaner published an article this January on her travels in 2013, which have been estimated to have cost Jamaican taxpayers $50 million.
MAINTAINING PARTNERSHIPS
Since that time, the prime minister has sought to dismiss concerns raised by her detractors, as she insisted that her overseas visits should be likened to those of the CEO of a firm seeking to maintain partnerships and attract new businesses.
Simpson Miller can expect to bat on a tough wicket today as members of the Opposition line up with a plethora of deliveries on the subject.
She is expected to reveal the cost of each trip abroad which might have been borne by local sources, embassies, consulates or missions in the destinations visited.
The team of technical personnel and ministers who accompany her overseas will also be highlighted. The prime minister is also expected to provide information on the roles of these persons on the various trips.