The Advocates Network (AN) has joined the call for speaker of the House of Representatives Juliet Holness to share the legal opinion from the Attorney General regarding the tabling of reports.
Similar calls have been made by the Jamaica Council of Churches, the Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal (JAMP), the National Integrity Action (NIA), Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) and other civil society organizations in recent weeks.
Two reports from the Auditor General’s were tabled in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 26. The reports had previously been sent back to the AG’s office based on a controversial ruling by Holness. The ruling by Holness, and her refusal to share the opinion from the attorney general, which she said guided her decision about how reports from the Auditor General’s Department and the Integrity Commission should be tabled, has gained public attention.
The Advocates Network said it is deeply concerned about the “direction in which the proceedings of the Parliament have transpired and how matters of a delicate nature have been handled.”
The AN noted that a recent statement by the JCC highlights important constitutional and procedural questions that have been raised surrounding the tabling of reports by the Auditor General (AuG) and the Integrity Commission (IC).
“The Advocates Network further notes with grave concern the deafening silence from the Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC) about these constitutional questions and other constitutional matters within the CRC’s remit. Significantly, there is resounding silence on the promised public education programme to prepare Jamaicans for meaningful engagement in the constitutional reform process and the required referendum as we move to become a Republic. We call on the CRC to update the nation on these matters and to expedite the process of public education,” the AN stated in a press release.
The JCC in a statement from its president, Bishop Christine Gooden-Benguche, said the tabling of the AG’s reports has come at a time when there have been heightened concerns and expressions regarding the need for public access to, and examination of the reports from the oversight institutions in the country.
The AN said it joins Gooden-Benguche in looking forward to outcomes in the near future that will stem the tide of mistrust of government and national leaders.
“We believe that the high levels of mistrust that exists in our society can only lead to more deviance, disorder and non-compliance. The nation looks forward to the promotion of the common good from the highest political authority in the land, the Parliament,” the advocacy group said.