Permanent Secretaries Board defends Audrey Sewell

The Board of Permanent Secretaries is defending Audrey Sewell, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing on a point of principle, following a public spat earlier this week with Contractor General Greg Christie over the public release of a confidential memo.

On Thursday, following the launch of an investigation by the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) into the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP), a media release from the ministry purported that the memo in question from Ms. Sewell to her boss, Dr. Omar Davies, had been taken from the Permanent Secretary's office during a visit by the OCG's team.  

The Permanent Secretaries Board is chaired by Cabinet Secretary, Ambassador Douglas Saunders, and comprises the Permanent Secretaries of the various Government ministries, as well as Directors General who head ministries or major divisions.

In a release on Friday evening, the Board said it was particularly troubled by the treatment of the confidential memorandum from Ms. Sewell to Minister, Dr. Omar Davies.

The Permanent Secretaries Board said while there are several matters of concern, the public release of the confidential document by the OCG has implications for the Westminster model of governance practised by Jamaica.     

The Board says the release could also undermine that system of governance in Jamaica by among other things, discouraging honest technical advice and guidance to ministers of Government by permanent secretaries and other public officials.                                              

The Permanent Secretaries Board is highlighting Section 24 (1) of the Contractor-General Act, which, it asserts, establishes a requirement for maintaining the confidentiality of documents obtained by the OCG in discharging its functions.

The Board, while acknowledging that there are two exceptions to that requirement, is questioning why they were applied in the present case. 

Since the media release on Thursday, Ms. Sewell has reportedly admitted that the memo was faxed to the OCG by an officer in her ministry.