JFJ questions absence of anti-corruption legislative plans in Throne Speech

By Kimone Witter    

 

Civil society group Jamaicans for Justice is questioning whether there will be a pause on legislation to further address corruption during the 2024/2025 legislative year.

 

JFJ Executive Director Mickel Jackson says there was no mention of this priority issue in the Throne Speech delivered by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen during the ceremonial opening of Parliament on Thursday.

 

Ms. Jackson acknowledged that, while several achievements were highlighted, the speech, which traditionally sets the legislative agenda, missed the mark on a number of critical national development matters.

 

She said legislation to deal with unexplained wealth and bribery appear to have been left off the agenda.

 

"The challenge that we're also having, even keeping within the context of corruption, is that you have joint select committees currently meeting or have been meeting, focusing on the Integrity Commission and the Protected Disclosure Act, commonly called the Whistleblower Act. You get no sense of continuity in the Throne Speech because, to date, despite these two joint select committee meetings as far back as 2022, you have no indication of when the recommendation reports will be tabled. But what you have had in the House of Parliament and members on the same joint select committee making recommendations to actually weaken the Integrity Commission," she pointed out. 

 

Ms. Jackson added that the government is obligated to be transparent in what is included in the Throne Speech and not to falsely give the impression that an item is new. 

 

"The Mediation Bill, for example, it was mentioned as far back as 2021, and it was mentioned again last year. How can you put something in a Throne Speech that projects that this is some new legislative idea when it was in fact mentioned before? What we would want in that Throne Speech, as symbolic as this is, is that there is some acknowledgment that these things were on the legislative agenda last year, the year before, and for whatever reason they weren't met," she said, suggesting that otherwise, it could be seen as disingenious of any successive government. 

 

The JFJ executive director has put forward recommendations to help parliamentarians pass more legislation in the new year.

 

Ms. Jackson said the passage of 19 of 37 Bills last year was unimpressive. 

 

"In terms of what we can do differently, one of the recommendations that have been made, is for example, Members of Parliament getting some more hands-on assistance with the people who can help them to review the bill. That's a reasonable ask. We know that we need more drafters in the system. That is also another reasonable ask. I think the question I would ask our Parliamentarians though, the ruling party, the legislature generally, is where are they with fulfilling some of those asks?" 

 

Ms Jackson was a guest Friday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106.