By Garwin Davis, Assistant News EditorTHE ISLAND'S parish councils continue to be plagued by patronage and favouritism in the awarding of contracts, political critics have charged.
There are also charges of properties belonging to the councils agencies ending up in the hands of persons either closely affiliated with elected officials or aligned with the Government of the day.
"It happens all the time," contends Delroy Giscombe, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillor for the Exchange Division in North East St. Ann. "If a piece of land is being advertised for sale the bidding is neither transparent nor fair. You will only hear that a bidder, usually a friend or relative of a councillor, has been selected."
The law requires that before land owned by the agencies can be sold or leased, a minimum of at least three bids must be entertained. The Ministry of Local Government is also required to review the application of the successful bid passed at the Parish Council level.
Critics, however, insist that "everything is done within the halls of the Parish Councils", with the Ministry hardly ever getting the chance to review a bid. "The law says there should be at least three bids but there are ways around that," Mr. Giscombe said. "There could be two fictitious bids and a bid from someone who is favoured for the property."
Critics also point to a situation in St. James where allegations have resurfaced that councillors have obtained land in the Bogue area of the parish and where buildings are now being erected. The allegations were first raised by the JLP's Clive Mullings prior to last year's general election.
DISTURBING
"I am not accusing anybody of anything but I find the entire thing disturbing," said Mark Kerr-Jarrett, president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce.
"We have written a letter to the Parish Council from last November requesting to know about the activities on the land in Bogue but is yet to get a response. Frankly speaking, I think they are ignoring us. There are a lot of allegations out there and the citizens of this parish do have a right to know what is going on."
However, according to Christopher Powell, secretary manager of the St. James
Parish Council, an investigation carried out by the Superintendent of Works
had cleared the councillors of any wrongdoing in the Bogue land affair. "An
investigation was carried out which exonerated the councillors," he said. "A
report has been passed on to the Permanent Secretary in the Local Government
Ministry, Barbara James." Asked about the propriety of the Parish Council investigating
itself, Mr. Powell said the law "required the Superintendent to investigate
those matters."
He, however, conceded that the matter was still not over as the Ministry was carrying out further investigations. Efforts to get a comment from the Ministry were unsuccessful yesterday as officials were said to be locked in meetings.
Local Government reform has been on the Government's agenda for quite a number of years. The Prime Minister only recently reiterated his commitment to the process, noting that it was long overdue. At his party's National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in November last year, he said he wanted to eliminate the hustling mentality at the Parish Council level so as to make the agencies more transparent and accountable."
ATTRACTIVE PAY PACKAGE
Meantime, Member of Parliament for Western St. Mary, Dr. Neil McGill, has charged
there was a sudden rush of persons wanting to become councillors, "not to serve
the people but for what they think they can get out of it." "The pay package
for councillors is now quite attractive," Dr. McGill said. "There is also a
keen interest on everybody's part to become Mayor because of the nearly $2million
per year salary. People have been viewing the Parish Council as an avenue where
they will have influence over contracts and how they are awarded. This is precisely
why the PNP has these strict guidelines for the selection of candidates...we
don't want people to come into this for the wrong reasons."
Secretary/Manager of the St. Mary Parish Council Sheldon Peart, while conceding that loopholes exist for corruption, said he was confident that his agency was not involved. "It's possible, but extremely difficult," he said. "Our Mayor would never allow that to happen."
However, JLP Councillor Bobby Montaque disagreed. "Of the 12 councillors at the Parish Council, I am the only JLP representative," he said. "I am also the only one not on the financial committee. But, for me to know what is happening such as questionable transactions, I have to read the minutes."
