FILE.
The government has declared that the independent consultant who will be employed to provide oversight to the multi-billion dollar Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP) will not be used to carry out witch hunts on previous public works projects.
Prime Minister Bruce Golding announced last weekend he has serious concerns about aspects of the Chinese funded programme and instructed that an independent consultant be employed.
Speaking in Parliament Tuesday [June 14] Mr. Golding said the consultant will not be given the authority to probe other projects outside his mandate unless there is just cause.
“I'm not giving a commitment to examine every project but I am not opposed to it but it would have to be on the basis of specific credible information that suggests that it is necessary. The investigation cannot be driven just on the basis that the programme is called JDIP, it must be driven on the basis that there is credible information, a committee has examined it and I would love to benefit from the committee’s examination to say let’s go investigate this particular project or that particular project,” Mr. Golding said.
And JDIP is to come under more scrutiny at Wednesday morning's [June 15] sitting of Parliament's Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC).
The Committee members will look at activities to be carried out under the programme and issues concerning transparency.
“At the last meeting, the National Works Agency gave the committee members a list of the roads that are to be done this year as well as some of the costs so what we are going to be doing is looking at the individual projects and have some discussion,” said PAAC Chairman, Dr. Wykeham McNeil.
He says the Committee will make suggestions on the way forward for the programme and include them in a report which will be sent to Parliament for debate.
The acquisition of lands for the construction of the Christiana Development Road is also on the agenda of Wednesday's meeting.
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