Arnaldo Brown
Junior Minister for Foreign Affairs, Arnaldo Brown, has declined to comment amid mounting questions regarding the J$1 million bill racked up from the use of his Government assigned cellular phone.
When RJR News contacted by RJR News on Tuesday, Brown indicated by text message, that he is still traveling on Government business and will address the matter when he returns.
A TVJ news report on Monday revealed that the Government spent more than J$5 million on cellular phone charges, in eleven Ministries between July 2013 and June this year, for Cabinet Ministers and their juniors.
The Foreign Affairs State Minister's bill was the highest.In June, Brown's cell phone bill was J$410-thousand while the bill of Foreign Affairs Minister A.J. Nicholson amounted to J$ 230-thousand.
Meanwhile, the 0pposition Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Spokesman on ICT, Dr. Andrew Wheatley, expressed alarm at the massive charges for telephone usage, racked up by Government Ministers and their juniors.
He said it is unacceptable that significant expenses are being incurred for cell phone charges, despite modern communication platforms and services.
According to the Spokesman, this is another example of poor governance and misplaced priorities of the Simpson-Miller administration.
He pointed to the phone charges racked up by Technology Minister Phillip Paulwell.
Wheatley believes the Minister should set an example by using available technology platforms and services, like VoIP to reduce his communications costs.
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