Michael Abrahams | We must demand broad-based oversight

Oversight is a crucial tool in governance for ensuring accountability, transparency and effectiveness. It enables adherence to rules and laws and, in doing so, acts as a vital check-and-balance to minimise corruption and waste.

Five days after Hurricane Melissa, the presidents of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA), and the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) penned a letter to Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness regarding the government’s response to the hurricane. One of the issues raised concerned oversight and transparency. The leaders proposed that, in the following seven days, the government form “an Oversight and Recovery Committee comprising representatives of Government, Opposition, Private Sector, and Civil Society.” They stated that the committee “would ensure transparency, national unity, and collective leadership in the rebuilding effort” and stated their readiness “to recommend key technical experts to support this process, including specialists in logistics, infrastructure, housing, and humanitarian coordination”.

Calls for such broad-based oversight have also been made by the Opposition, civil society, journalists, social commentators, vloggers and others, but the pleas have fallen on deaf ears. When asked by journalists at press briefings about the topic, the Government has not provided a rational reason for its recalcitrance. Why not do it if there is nothing to hide?

Effective oversight is essential at a time like this. Research has found that, following or during a natural disaster or crisis, there is often an uptick in governmental corruption. And we already have a corruption problem in our country. According to a 2024 Transparency International report, Jamaica is perceived as the third-most-corrupt country in the English-speaking Caribbean.

QUESTIONABLE BEHAVIOUR

We have experienced questionable behaviour from both our political parties during and after national crises. After Hurricane Gilbert hit us in 1988, the outgoing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government in 1989 left behind approximately $400 million worth of zinc imported for the relief of the hurricane victims. When the People’s National Party (PNP) took office, they allegedly distributed the zinc to their supporters and gang members. More recently, regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Auditor General’s reports on COVID-19 funds identified several issues, including a lack of transparency in spending, weak internal controls over procurement, donations, and the custody of food care package items, breaches of financial regulations, and concerns about fund misallocation. In addition, both parties boast an impressive list of scandals, with several individuals involved in them, not only remaining in their parties, but also sitting in Parliament today. Also, the Integrity Commission (IC) reported referring eight parliamentarians for investigation into illicit enrichment between April 2022 and March 2024.

Unfortunately, not only has the Government refused to comply with the request for broad-based oversight, they have also cultivated an antagonistic environment. For instance, the House Speaker has been rigid and, at times, even rude in the execution of her duties. When standing orders are not adhered to, offenders should be put in their place. But there have been instances where opposition parliamentarians have had their mics muted and been dismissed while simply attempting to frame a question before asking it. More recently, when the opposition leader asked pertinent questions about the US$150-million loan to the Jamaica Public Service (JPS), Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz embarked on a vitriolic and unhinged tirade and accused him of not wanting Jamaicans to have electricity.

UNFORCED ERRORS

Meanwhile, the PNP’s penchant for scoring own goals and making unforced errors continues with zeal, as they keep gifting the Holness administration with ammunition to be used against them. Politics is like chess, but the PNP plays it like it is dandy shandy, and keeps getting hit by the ball. In this instance, after the hurricane, the Opposition publicly stated on more than one occasion, including at their press conference on November 3 when Opposition Leader Mark Golding called for additional oversight, that they are willing to work with the Government regarding matters related to Hurricane Melissa. However, when they were invited to join a joint select committee (JSC) of parliament overseeing hurricane recovery, relief, and reconstruction efforts, they declined the invitation. The Opposition explained that they refused the invitation because the committee would be duplicating and usurping the role and function of the parliament’s Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC), and reiterated its call for broad-based oversight.

It was not the type of committee they wanted, requested, or thought would be most appropriate, but flat out rejecting and rubbishing the invitation was poor political strategy. Joining the committee would have at least allowed them to get a foot in and have a seat at the table, during which time they could continue to advocate for the broad-based approach they desire. The optics are not good. If you claim to want to work with the government and then reject an invitation, you come across as insincere. What was even more perplexing was when the PNP, on the heels of their rejection of the Government’s invitation, held a press conference and whined about the Government excluding them from relief activities. At the same press conference, the Opposition leader complained that he had reached out to Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness on WhatsApp but had not received a response. Seriously now, at this level of governance, is he telling us he relies solely on WhatsApp to have an important conversation with the country’s leader? If you really want to communicate with someone who does not respond on WhatsApp, there are many other avenues that can be utilised. Just how serious was the attempt to have dialogue with the prime minister? Something is dreadfully wrong with the PNP’s approach.

As a Jamaican, I feel like we are alone and vulnerable in this environment. We have an arrogant and dismissive Government and a weak and inconsistent Opposition. Both have histories of corruption, and asking them alone to monitor money is like asking termites to oversee a piece of wood. We must, regardless of party affiliation, demand broad-based oversight and genuinely “choose Jamaica”.

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator, and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on X , formerly Twitter, @mikeyabrahams