PRIME MINISTER Patterson yesterday scoffed at a proposal by Opposition Leader Seaga, which aims at giving the courts a greater role in the impeachment of parliamentarians and other public officials.
"When Ministers or Members of Parliament are in dereliction of their duties or where issues of malfeasance or misfeasance arise which relate to the conduct of those who have been elected by the people, there is recourse to existing parliamentary procedures which Members of Parliament, including those in opposition can trigger," the Prime Minister said in his contribution to the 2003/2004 Budget Debate in the House yesterday.
He suggested that to use the courts to determine whether a parliamentarian or any other public official had carried out his duty was dangerous because it removed from the electorate, the right to evaluate its leaders.
"The separation of powers is fundamental canon in our system of governance. The Government dares not instruct the courts nor should the courts be asked to evaluate the performance of Government," the Prime Minister added.
He said breaches of the law fell in the lap of the courts but matters of good governance should remain with the Cabinet and the Parliament.
Last Thursday Mr. Seaga put forward a new proposal which he said would push ahead the process of impeachment.
Under his plan, Cabinet Ministers, the Leader of the Opposition, parliamentarians and other holders of high offices would have to take specific oaths that bind them to carry out set duties and functions.
The courts could then be asked to determine whether a person had failed to carry out his duties as set out in the oath. If the official is found guilty, this could then form the basis for triggering impeachment procedures against him.
Impeachment involves accusations being made by a legislative or executive branch of Govern-ment against civil and political officials. The penalty for impeachment is usually the loss of office and the barring of the party found guilty from holding public office at any time for the rest of his or her life.
Mr. Seaga said the fear of being evicted from office, would ensure better performance by public officials, whether elected or non-elected.
