JFJ wants withdrawal of reprimand letter to Curtis, update on IC reports in Parliament

By Kimone Witter    

 

Executive Director of Jamaicans for Justice Mickel Jackson says there are several hot button issues that Parliamentarians should address when the House of Representatives reconvenes today.

 

She believes that among these should be the public withdrawal of the reprimand letter that was issued to former Clerk to the Houses of Parliament, Valrie Curtis, by House Speaker Juliet Holness.

 

"I think it is important to ensure that the House Speaker publicly withdraws that letter of reprimand. We believe that it was an unfortunate one, and certainly based on the powers of the House Speaker, I don't think it was a lawful one to have been issued in the first place."

 

Ms. Jackson says Mrs. Holness should also provide an update on the tabling of the five Integrity Commission reports that were sent to Parliament on April 17. 

 

"I think it's important that the public is made aware of the contents of those reports because we can't be using the buzzwords of transparency and accountability and anti-corruption framework, but we're not heeding to the principles of what exactly those mean. We can't have those reports languishing with the oversight committee, and I think it's just in the interest of the public and transparency to ensure that we are made aware of the content," she insisted. 

 

Ms. Jackson was speaking on the Morning Agenda, on Power 106.

 

Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives Edmund Bartlett is scheduled to open the Sectoral debate today.