JAMAICA | Controversial reports Returned to Sender by House Speaker Holness

KINGSTON, Jamaica, March 24, 2024 - Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis has confirmed  that the two reports that were sent to Parliament on December 28 and January 29, and highlighted by the Opposition Leader in the Budget Debate have just now been returned to her department by Speaker of the House Juliet Holness.

The reports: a special audit of the Financial Services Commission and a special audit of Tax Administration Jamaica, were sent back on Friday, following which JLP General Secretary Dr. Horace Chang published a statement announcing that, as of Friday, there was no outstanding report from either the Integrity Commission or the Auditor General awaiting tabling in Parliament.

Submitted to Parliament in January, these reports have languished, untabled, at the pleasure of the Speaker, casting a shadow over the legislative body's commitment to timely and transparent governance. 

"The Speaker’s deviation from the established protocol hinders the timely dissemination of crucial information vital for transparent governance," lamented the PNP in a pointed critique of the current state of affairs.

The Opposition's stance is clear: the procedural hurdles introduced by the Speaker's rulings not only frustrate the immediate tabling of investigative reports but also erode the foundational principles of good governance.

There should be immediate tabling of reports from all investigative bodies upon submission to Parliament, the PNP says.

The party has suggested that the adjustment for the tabling of certain reports from the Integrity Commission was a deliberate act, after the Integrity Commission's annual report that was tabled in July last year, disclosed an ongoing investigation involving six parliamentarians for illicit enrichment. 

Opposition Leader, Mark Golding said it is concerning that the decision of the Speaker that "certain reports of the Integrity Commission must be sent to an oversight committee within Parliament, which is dominated by the government side, and chaired by the government side, before those reports are tabled and made public."

What the JLP did is not ok. @MarkJGolding spoke in Parliament on 19/03/2024. The JLP sent back the rorts on 22/03/2024 and then puts out a statement to say it is a lie that reports are were sent to parliament by the AudG. How much longer will well thinking people ignore this?? pic.twitter.com/uLUN3wdy7P

— Dr Dayton Campbell (@DaytonCampbell) March 23, 2024

"These are issues of grave concern to me, as somebody who believes in the parliamentary system and democracy, and indeed for many Jamaicans," he asserted in justification for his decision to raise the matter during his presentation in the Budget Debate.

The Opposition says it is strongly against this approach, and maintains that the conduct of the Speaker with respect to the timely tabling of reports, and her departure from established practices, is inconsistent with good governance.