Civil society groups push for political accountability

THE EDITOR, Sir:

ARISING OUT of a joint dialogue held on Wednesday, June 2, we the several groups signed below have given consideration to the grave and urgent matters facing the nation, and announce our intention to work together on a long-term basis to demand non-partisan civic participation in the affairs of the nation going forward.

To this end, we affirm our commitment to a process that broadens and increases public participation in and oversight of the national decision-making process. We pledge to hold ourselves and our leaders to account.

We collectively hold the prime minister responsible for implementing, without delay, the eight-point commitment given at the time of his apology. These include instituting measures to dismantle garrisons, achieving greater accountability of public officials and ensuring integrity and transparency in public life and government.

full disclosure

To this end, we support the call of the private sector's President's Council, for a full disclosure in Parliament of the Mannatt, Phelps & Phillips affair.

As a collective, we affirm the stand already taken by our individual groups and insist that immediate steps be taken to break the links between party politics and organized crime. We call on the Government and Opposition members of the Parliament to:

immediately move to implement recommendations with respect to political party financing and other crucial legislative provisions to ensure parties operate with transparency, accountability and no taint of connection to criminal elements or undue influence by special-interest groups;

establish a national framework for integrity testing of political candidates;

implement the recommendations of the contractor general aimed at ensuring the exclusion of tainted persons from the award of Government contracts.

We join with the media fraternity in calling on the prime minister to act on his public commitment to complete the process of reviewing libel and defamation laws as we agree that transparency and accountability will be enhanced through less onerous defamation laws.

We declare our support for legislation that strengthens the crime-fighting capability of the police. However, in relation to the proposed crime bills, we call upon the Government to ensure careful review of all legislative initiatives and to allow for public participation and consultation in that review process.

We signal to the wider society our commitment to continue and expand this dialogue to identify the short, medium and long-term actions that will rescue Jamaica and fulfill the vision and promise of our motto, anthem and pledge.

We are, etc.,

Citizens for Free and Fair Elections

Institute of Law and Economics

Jamaica Environment Trust

Jamaica Exporters Association

Jamaican For Justice

Jamaican Bar Association

Jamaica Manufacturers'

Association

Jamaican United for Sustainable

Development

Junior Chamber International -

Kingston

Media Association of Jamaica

Private Sector Organisation of

Jamaica

The MME Alliance

Women's Resource & Outreach

Centre

Umbrella groups of churches:

Church of God in Jamaica

Jamaica Association of Evangelical

Jamaica Council of Churches

Jamaica Pentecostal Union

Academics:

Prof Trevor Monroe

Dr Pet-Anne Baker

Prof Anthony Harriott