Opposition wants PM to appoint chairman for Port Authority of Jamaica

Opposition spokesman on Transport and Works Mikael Phillips is calling on the prime minister, in his capacity as minister of economic growth and job creation, to immediately appoint a chairman of the Board of Directors of the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ). Phillips said yesterday that the Port Authority has been operating without a chairman since March 2018, when the then chairman, Dr Nigel Clarke, resigned to enter representational politics. He said it was poor governance and perhaps, a breach of the Public Bodies Management and Accountability Act that such an important regulatory and development authority has been left without a chairman for such a long period of time.

Absence hampering function

He said that it was far worse at this time because the PAJ is a critical partner in the development of the logistics hub, special economic zones, expanded port facilities, and buildings to accommodate new capacity for the business processing outsourcing industry.

“All these developments involve the expenditure of billions of dollars, including loan funds, where proper oversight is required,” he said.

The People’s National Party spokesman said that the failure to appoint a new chairman was another indication that many important matters were being lost in the large and unwieldy Ministry of Economic Growth. He said that it was also more evidence that the prime minister could not possibly provide appropriate ministerial oversight for the huge number of departments, agencies, and other critical public bodies that are included in this amalgamated portfolio headed by him.