PSOJ praises Clarke for new board policy guidelines

The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) has welcomed the recent announcement by Minister of Finance Dr Nigel Clarke that Cabinet has approved policy guidelines for the nomination, selection, and appointment of the boards of public bodies.

Pointing to Clarke's address to the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, the PSOJ said that he "clearly and unequivocally set in context the driving philosophy of transparency, accountability, and robustness of performance with which his administration seeks to underpin the operation of public boards going forward".

QUANTUM LEAP

In a press release issued yesterday, the PSOJ noted that Jamaica had now established a policy framework for a competency profile for public boards; a board performance evaluation process; and guidelines for the nomination, selection, and appointment of members of public boards.

The body agreed with Clarke that the development represented "a quantum leap in the governance of public bodies in Jamaica".

The PSOJ said that Clarke had "clearly grasped the critical need to preserve the legitimacy of government in the 21st century and to build confidence through participative democracy as a means to mobilise the entire society in achieving his administration's prosperity goals. We congratulate him for this and for bringing a fresh outlook to the leadership of his ministry".

PSOJ President Howard Mitchell has noted that once again, the collaborative process involving the efforts of the public and private sector has borne fruit. He said that the PSOJ was proud of its partnership with the public sector in building a framework for good corporate governance through its involvement in this recent achievement and its co-sponsorship with the Ministry of Finance of the annual Public Bodies Corporate Governance Awards.