Jagdeo calls out Gov’t over continued lapse of Integrity Commission

Nov 11, 2017 News

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo has accused the David Granger-led coalition administration

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo

of disbanding the secretariat of the Integrity Commission, which would allow Members of Parliament to continue to make declarations of their assets.
At the moment there is no functioning Integrity Commission and in June, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo stated that commissioners would be appointed ‘soon’. In the meantime, Government has set about to strengthen the legislation.
Jagdeo told reporters this week that although there is no functioning commission, the Secretariat remained in place to carry out some functions. He noted that the Secretariat has since been disbanded.
It must be noted that the Commission had lapsed since 2012 under the Donald Ramotar presidency.
“The law requires you to submit; and you would submit it to the Secretariat. What they have done is disband the Secretariat, so there is nobody to send out notices to you to say you have to submit. And these are the same people who claim they are so transparent,” Jagdeo stated.
During the campaign, the coalition promised to strengthen anti-corruption laws and had made strong criticisms against the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).
Through the Integrity Commission, senior public officers, including MPs, must declare their assets in an effort to ensure that they do not acquire large amounts of cash or property without oversight.
“Earlier this year, I have my submissions because I submitted for the years I was there,” Jagdeo stated.
He recalled that it was the PPP/C who took a Motion to Parliament to ask for the disclosure of MPs tax payments for the past 10 years in an effort to share information about which MPs were complying with the law.
“It was the Government that voted against this after claiming that they are for transparency,” Jagdeo said.
Under the Integrity Commission Act, the President is to appoint a chairperson and other commissioners. Since June, Prime Minister Nagamootoo seemed certain that the names provided to the President would be accepted and the appointments made soon after. The PM has not disclosed the names submitted. He said the selection of qualified nominees has to take into consideration not only the professional qualifications of the nominees, but ethnic and gender balance.
The PM noted that many persons who were approached expressed great interest in serving, but some didn’t like the idea of making declarations of their assets, especially those in business and professional private practice.
Prime Minister Nagamootoo was certain that the PPP/C would find fault with the Commissioners when they are appointed and noted that Jagdeo deemed the draft Code of Conduct for persons in public life, ‘crap’, while refusing to submit any proposals.
The Integrity Commission (Amendment of the Code of Conduct) Order 2017 has since been published in the Gazette and addresses, frontally, matters relating to discrimination, bribes, conflict of interest, handling of classified information, use of public property and sexual misconduct, among others.
Harmon said that for the time being, the Integrity Commission is functioning with a very small staff with a very limited budget.
In addition, he had said that proper investigations should be conducted to ascertain how Government Ministers and other public officials acquire their wealth.
Under the law, public officers including the President, Permanent Secretaries, Director of Public Prosecutions, Auditor General, Commissioner of Police, the Army Chief, Heads of the Service Commissions, Foreign Affairs officials, Judges and Magistrates and Department Heads are required to declare their assets.
Also required to submit declaration forms of their earnings and gifts received are Regional Executive Officers, the Chief Elections Officer, Mayors, Chairpersons and Chief Executive Officers of state companies, Registrars of Lands and the Commissioner-General of Guyana Revenue Authority, along with Presidential Advisors, and Heads of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and Guyana Forestry Commission.
Earlier this year, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said that for the time being, the Integrity Commission was functioning with a very small staff with a very limited budget.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News