Gareth Manning, Gleaner Writer

SHAW

In response to Gleaner criticism of his political statements on the weekend, Opposition Finance Spokesman Audley Shaw yesterday temporarily stepped away from his post as chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Mr. Shaw announced he would give up the seat during a meeting of the PAC at which it was expected that, for the first time in public, former chairman of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), Dr. Vin Lawrence, would face probing questions about his involvement in the fiasco surrounding the Sandals Whitehouse hotel project.

"In order to avoid questions of motive being raised with the conduct of the proceedings, I have decided to vacate the chair and I invite someone on the committee to take the chair," he said.

The PAC chairman had, during a Jamaica Labour Party political rally in Portland on Saturday, told supporters that the PAC would be tackling Dr. Lawrence this week.

"We a go pepper fi him backside too," Mr. Shaw reportedly said during the political meeting.

However, in a Gleaner editorial published yesterday, Mr. Shaw was criticised for his outbursts. The editorial stated that the PAC chairman's comments suggested his actions would be intended to gain political mileage rather than gather facts to get the truth.

"There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the Opposition gaining political advantage from an issue of poor governance, if these are what happened at Whitehouse," the editorial stated.

"What we are concerned about is there seems to be an a priori that is so. Therein lies the danger of the facts being shaped to suit the conclusion, rather than a genuine search for truth to ensure that breaches do not occur in the future."

Agreeing that Mr. Shaw's comments could prejudice the PAC's findings on the Whitehouse probe, a legislative expert told The Gleaner yesterday that his stepping away from the chairmanship was appropriate.

"I think he is right to step down because, if he is adjudicating, although it's not a court, if he has to make a report based upon his investigations of the matter and he made that statement before hand, he can unfairly affect the outcome of that investigation," the expert told The Gleaner.

During yesterday's sitting of the House of Representatives, Opposition member of Parliament Mike Henry was selected to temporarily chair the PAC.

Mr. Henry will chair the PAC for the duration of the committee's investigation into the Sandals Whitehouse debacle that led to the overspending of US$43 million on the hotel construction site in Westmoreland.

Mr. Shaw will however remain a member of the committee during examinations of the Sandals Whitehouse matter, leaving him with an opportunity to question Mr. Lawrence's involvement in the hotel saga.