Delroy Chuck

The PNP, a once great party, has fallen into decadence. The party of Norman Manley, outstanding statesman and National Hero, is no longer standing up for decency, honesty, integrity and the national interest. The party presides over a growing kleptocracy instead of being committed to a true democracy. The party's chairman, general secretary and legal advisor, without checking the true facts, openly and deliberately misled the country and clearly demonstrated that the party has fallen into disrepute.

But, if there was 'hanky-panky', what is A.J., in his capacity as Attorney-General of Jamaica and Minister of Justice, doing to uphold the rule of law, to come clean to the people, and to clear up Jamaica's good name abroad?

Blame and wrongdoing

If former PNP General Secretary Colin Campbell has done nothing wrong, as he asserts, why has he resigned? If the little we know is even partly true, the disgraced PNP general secretary cannot escape blame and wrongdoing. When he denied that the acronym CCOC stands for nothing in particular, he probably believed we are morons and that no one could decipher its meaning.

Well, his co-signer on the account, Norton Hinds, acknowledged that the acronym stands for Colin Campbell Our Candidate - is it that Colin forgot? How does he explain the circuitous route of this PNP contribution?

Corruption, illicit deals and governmental wrongdoing have become such a normal part of the Jamaican landscape that the PNP Chairman, Robert Pickersgill, affectionately known as 'Wrong Jungle', can be forgiven for seeing nothing wrong with Trafigura, a 'reputable' international company, making a donation to the PNP. Again, Bobby spoke from his usual position of ignorance, as he clearly was not aware that Trafigura cannot make a political donation and, if this gift of $31 million dollars is such a donation, it could be jail for the donors. So, if it was not a political donation, how could the PNP so proudly affirm that it was and discerned nothing wrong in receiving it? The plot really thickens and the mere return of the 'donation' will not close this corrupt chapter in the PNP's prolonged maladministra-tion. The people must get the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Still, the whole unseemly saga is just another scandal in a scandal-ridden government. The Sandals Whitehouse scandal is presently before the Public Accounts Committee and for which an overrun of over US$40 million needs explanation and resolution without further burdening the taxpayers. What went wrong with Caribbean Cement and that caused a once trustworthy company to deliver bad cement?

Results

We are yet to know the results of the many scandals such as Operation Pride and the overpayment at the NSWMA in Riverton City, etc. In fact, there are many contracts now linked to genetically connected contractors for which the people of Jamaica are not getting value for money but awarded primarily to benefit the PNP and its supporters.

With so many worthless and illicit deals, the PNP administration is doing Jamaica and its party a disservice. Morality, integrity and decency are no longer overriding considerations in decision-making, it is enough to act within the periphery of the law. When the leaders of any organisation are so devoid of morality, fair play and trust, it is time to rescue it. For the sake of our democracy and to avoid the growing kleptocracy, the PNP needs rescuing.

Delroy Chuck is an attorney-at-law and Member of Parliament. He can be contacted by email at delchuck@hotmail.com.