THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE PRIME Minister and his fraternal, now almost identical political twin brother the Leader of the Opposition, have created from the rib of the corpse of the old repealed Ombudsman Act a peculiar office which has no parallel in civilised society the Political Ombudsman.
The office as presently conceived, is really a seasonal, part-time, Kingston-centred mechanism for pampering, placating and acting as referee for activists of the PNP and the JLP when they offend each other or engage in any criminal activities or jiggery-pokery. Its "resurrection" is indicative of the bankruptcy of ideas prevailing in Parliament.
If we must have a Political Ombudsman then let us have a real, full-blooded Political Ombudsman by whatever named called. Let us have an officer with wide powers who will be a zealous guardian of the political, parliamentary, constitutional and legal rights of the people of this country. He should have power to receive complaints about and monitor and investigate the activities of parliamentarians and other political representatives and to enforce their compliance with their legal, ethical and other obligations. He should have power to file proceedings in Court.
At Central Government level among the matters which would attract the attention of this officer would be the failure to hold by-elections to fill vacancies in the House of Representatives contrary to section 45(2) of the Constitution, the failure of candidates to make returns of election expenses as required by law, the failure of parliamentarians to comply with the provisions of the Parliament (Integrity of Members) Act, and the exceeding of the limit of the Loan Act. Contracts with the Government in respect of which parliamentarians have been given exemption from vacating their seats especially those with "general" exemptions should be scrutinised and whistles blown when necessary.
The growing practice of extra- and post-parliamentary perquisites where ex-Members of Parliament, their spouses, relatives or significant others are, with utter lack of transparency, appointed Ambassadors, High Commissioners, Consultants, Chairmen of statutory boards, honchos and pooh-bahs of miscellaneous government and quasi-government organisations, some specially created, should be probed. Guidelines are needed.
The above is just the tip of the iceberg. Jamaica needs a vigorous Political/Parliamentary Ombudsman not a private dancer for the political parties.
I am, etc.,
BERESFORD HAY
P.O. Box 1191
Kingston 8
