Opposition calls for Services Commission probe of parliamentary staff resignations

Following the resignation of Deputy Clerk to the Houses of Parliament this week, Opposition Leader Mark Golding has written to the Chief Personnel Officer of the Services Commission, Jacqueline Mendez, requesting an urgent investigation.

In his letter, Mr Golding has also asked the Services Commissions to conduct an independent assessment of the circumstances of the resignation of Christopher Cowan and the wider concerns which have been raised regarding the working environment within the Houses of Parliament. 

The letter was copied to the Governor General, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President of the Senate.

The former Deputy Clerk, in his resignation letter to Speaker of the House of Representatives, Juliet Holness described a "contentious" environment in which he said he was made to operate, the removal and denial of privileges, as well as the "retaliatory approach" of Clerk to the Houses Colleen Lowe.

Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives Phillip Paulwell has also written to Leader of Government Business and Chairman of the House Committee Floyd Green, calling for a meeting of the Committee to be convened without delay.

He says the meeting should receive a staffing update and determine what action is needed.

Paulwell says the Opposition is concerned that Mr Cowan's departure is the latest in a troubling pattern of senior resignations that threaten the effective functioning of Jamaica's Parliament.

“As I said in my letter, the parliament belongs to the people of Jamaica, and its administrative machinery must be stable,” he declared, adding that “it must be professional and capable of supporting members of both sides of the house.”

He contends that when there’s a steady stream of departures by experienced officers, “institutional knowledge leaves with them.”

“Every Jamaican has a stake in a parliament that works, and we must address this now before it becomes a broader disruption,” he insisted.