Holness: Stop the ‘cass cass’

After government lawmakers unleashed a series of tirades against Jamaica’s single anti-corruption body over reports tabled in Parliament and the non-signing of the Leadership Code of Conduct, Prime Minister Andrew Holness yesterday called for a cessation of the “cass cass” with the Integrity Commission.

The prime minister urged lawmakers in Gordon House yesterday not to engage in a quarrel with a body that reports to Parliament.

A February report sent to Parliament by the director of investigations of the Integrity Commission, Kevon Stephenson, implicated the prime minister in a conflict of interest.

The report indicated that the prime minister may have influenced the awarding of millions of dollars in government contracts to the company of a business associate.

However, two days later, the commission released a ruling from the director of corruption prosecutions that no charges would be preferred against the prime minister. This triggered angst among government lawmakers who complained that the commission did not send both reports to Parliament at the same time.

In recent times, government lawmakers also launched a broadside against the commission over the signing of its Leadership Code of Conduct.

Holness said yesterday that the commissions of Parliament got their powers through laws passed by Parliament.

“We are a country of laws and the rule of law is supreme and the Parliament is the instrument through which we make laws,” he said.

“That is our power and that is what the people elected us to do,” he added.

He said that the Parliament allowed aggrieved members to “make a personal statement to express their perspectives within the House and have the protection of Parliament in making their statement”.

The prime minister said that the concerns raised by Member of Parliament for St Mary Western Robert Montague and Justice Minister Delroy Chuck were valid.

“We have the power given to us by the electorate to change the laws and to make them more effective and stronger in the public interest and to make them fair and just and more effective,” he added.

He argued that lawmakers should use the parliamentary platform to express their dissatisfaction and defend “our good name and character”.

Holness signalled that the Joint Select Committee reviewing the Integrity Commission Act should increase the pace at which it deliberates and meet more frequently.

He called on the review committee to examine the law with “greater depth and ensure that we have a law that is workable in Jamaica”.

Holness said that if there are issues the oversight committee should also meet and have them resolved.

“It is not good for our country for there to be what has emerged now in the public space and if anyone thinks that they are winning, they are leading to the destruction of institutions.”

Earlier, Montague rose on the Motion of Adjournment and for the second week in a row slammed the Integrity Commission for its handling of a report which stated that the former national security minister granted gun licences to persons with a criminal history.

Montague has said he did nothing wrong but his appeal was not accepted by the commission. He accused the commission of being biased because it sent an addendum to Parliament last week exonerating another former Minister of National Security Peter Bunting of acting improperly in the issuing of firearm licences.

Member of Parliament for St Andrew South East Julian Robinson yesterday warned against the practice of lawmakers rising on motions of adjournment to vent against the Integrity Commission.

He noted that if parliamentarians have a concern about the operations of the commission, they can raise those issues during the sitting of the oversight committee or the committee reviewing the Integrity Commission Act.

editorial@gleanerjm.com