GREGORY MAIR should be careful not to misinterpret the jolly Christmas season as a licence for sillyness and circus acts.The government member, who represents North East St Catherine from the backbench inside Gordon House, has for the most part shown much promise in the House but, his move last week to politicise the Office of the Contractor General may set a dangerous precedent which could undermine the purity of that office.

Mair wants the House to command Contractor General Greg Christie to open investigations into the award of contracts by the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) over the last five years in specified instances.

He also wants Christie to reopen probes into the award of contracts in the Sandals Whitehouse project, the National Solid Waste Management Authority and the Universal Access Fund.

Mair's motion is shameful to say the least. It is not very often that The Gavel stands still when a member of the House is being heckled but the boos that rang out for Mair should have been tenfold louder.

Admit and applaud

We admit and applaud any effort to uncover every dot of corruption on the part of public officials but we think it is wrong to use the pristine Office of the Contractor General to score political point.

Indeed, if Christie conducts the probes, which he would be obliged to do as a Commission of Parliament, tears could flow in and outside the House should prosecutors be called in to slap handcuffs on wrists. The reverse may also be true but we believe the exercise is not worth the contractor general's time.

The outcome of the investigations is certainly not the most important spin-off should Mair's desire come to fruition.

What he has done is to say to the contractor general that whenever 'our' party, or any party, has its back against the wall and political points are at stake, 'your' office will be the strike bowler.

We know what is behind this motion. It is no secret that the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has so far failed to deliver "a better way for a better Jamaica" as it promised in its 2007 manifesto. The fact, however, is that this is not totally as a result of its own doing. The world economic climate is rapidly deteriorating and even the strongest of countries has been brought to its knees.

But in the midst of this all, the recent contractor general's report on the procurement of contracts at the JUTC paints a picture of cronyism and nepotism at the state-owned bus company - something from which the Government had promised to stay far.

As Jamaica questions why this was allowed to happen, or if the JLP is any less dishonest than many believe the People's National Party (PNP) is, Mair has decided that the office of the contractor general must be a weapon of the Government. He must tell the country what else the PNP has hidden under its funky carpet; reoiling as it were, the JLP's propaganda machinery.

There is an old practice of journalists and lawyers to never ask questions to which you may not know the answer.

Answers to our questions

In the case of the JUTC, The Gavel is convinced that Transport Minister Mike Henry has at least partial answers to most questions there. He has long promised to bare all on the corruption and skulduggery that took place at the bus company when the PNP held power. It's been more than a year but Henry has refused to say anything. Perhaps the party had made the decision to use the contractor general as a water boy if a scandal broke.

With its majority in the House, we expect that the Government will out muscle the Opposition and approve Mair's motion. We hope for the sake of the purity of the Office of the Contractor General that it does not happen.

thegavel@gleanerjm.com

The Gavel's wish list for next year

A clear parliamentary and legislative agenda.

Rabble rousers, particularly those in the naughty corner, to turn over a new leaf.

Greater punctuality on the part of members.

That West Portland Member of Parliament Daryl Vaz would wear socks to the House more often.

That Kern Spencer make up his mind whether he belongs in the Parliament. He should either attend Parliament more regularly or resign his seat to deal with his legal woes.

Some members will maintain the excellent relationship that they share.

thegavel@gleanerjm.com