Opposition Leader Dr. Peter Phillips - file photo
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Dr. Peter Phillips
Opposition Leader Dr. Peter Phillips says the revelation by Prime Minister Andrew Holness that he will be reshaping his Cabinet is an indication that the government is still mired in confusion and uncertainty.
Mr. Holness on Wednesday signalled that he would be reshaping his Cabinet as he seeks to fill the vacancy left at the Science and Technology Ministry.
However, he gave no timeline, saying that, while persons might be anxious, he would move at his own pace to ensure he makes the right decisions.
For Dr. Phillips, this is unacceptable.
"Ministers don't know what will happen to them, but more importantly, the public doesn't know who to address when they have business with the Ministry of Science and Technology, and there are critical areas that have to be dealt with, including our telecommunications arrangements," he pointed out.
Political commentator Dr. Paul Ashley has called for Mr. Holness to outline a job description for government ministers before doing any adjustments to his Cabinet.
Change oversight arrangements
Meanwhile, Dr. Phillips said, while the architecture for ensuring good governance and accountability has achieved some success, recent breaches highlight some of the deficiencies in the current oversight arrangements.
He argued that the breaches seem to flow from increasing partisan, political considerations in the administration of public bodies, which facilitate corruption, the diversion of public funds, and weaken public trust in government.
The Opposition Leader called for an urgent review to reform and clarify the present governance arrangements. Specifically, he suggested that the Public Service Commission (PSC) be given explicit responsibility for providing oversight for public bodies and statutory entities outside of the central ministries and departments. This reform, he said, would require constitutional amendments.
Dr. Phillips also suggested that the mode of appointing members of the Commission would have to change.
Currently, members are selected by the Prime Minister after consultation with the Leader of the Opposition.
Dr. Phillips was speaking Wednesday night at the official dinner of the Caribbean Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions' 30th Anniversary Conference at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.
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