JAMAICA | PNP Repeats Calls for Managing Director of National Housing Trust to Resign

KINGSTON, Jamaica. February 15, 2024: The People's National Party (PNP) is repeating its call for the Managing Director of the National Housing Trust (NHT) to resign. 

The Shadow Minister of Housing and Sustainable Living, Senator Dr. Floyd Morris,  says “the botched deal between the NHT and Dexim Holdings Ltd and the untidy non-disclosure agreement (NDA) highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability for public officials. 

Senator Morris noted that “Attempts by various individuals to access the information regarding the court order were met with the same response from the NHT, that they cannot be released as they are subject to a non-disclosure agreement. 

The document now released, proves that the utterances made by the NHT are false. The NHT representatives, including the Managing Director, were dishonest in their disclosure to the country on this very serious matter. All those involved must be held accountable”

Dr. Morris pointed out that  “The NHT has been an institution that Jamaicans have placed tremendous faith and confidence in. The institution has been one of the best public institutions over the past 40 years. We cannot therefore have individuals who are going to distort the truth about agreements that have been forged with private companies, running the institution.”

Senator Morris further noted, that  “What we are seeing is the institutionalisation of bad governance practices. Formulating NDAs by public bodies is bad for the governance of the country. The public has a right to information about their institutions in a free and democratic society.”

The Shadow Minister is also calling for the Board of the NHT to resign. “For this settlement to have been forged with Dexim, the Board must have been privy to the settlement and signed off on it. This is a massive sweet-heart deal involving $650 million of public money, and the Board must have been privy to its content.”

On a similar note, the Shadow Minister is calling on Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who is responsible for the NHT, to come clean on this matter. 

“We want to know when the Prime Minister became aware of this arrangement and what were his instructions to the Board and management of the NHT.”

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