Erica
Virtue, Staff Reporter
CORRECTION REGARDING THIS ARTICLE
In this article, Uriel Salmon, Chairman of the Integrity
Commission was wrongly called Professor. Mr. Salmon is a lecturer
in the Department of Management Studies, UWI, Mona.
NDM PRESIDENT Bruce Golding has accused the four Parliamentary
leaders of siding with delinquent colleagues in concealing
their financial worth, in breach of the Parliamentary Integrity
of Members Act.
Under the 1973 Act, elected and appointed Parliamentarians
are required to declare their assets and liabilities, and
that of their spouses and adult children living in their household
during the time they hold public office.
The declarations are compiled by the Integrity Commission
in a report which is sent to the four leaders specified by
the Act -- the Prime Minister, Opposition Leader, president
of the Senate, and Speaker of the House.
Information gathered by The Sunday Gleaner indicated
that there had been widespread non-compliance on the part
of the public officials up to 1996. Information from reports
after 1996 have been nearly impossible to obtain from the
four leaders.
Last week, Mr. Golding chastised the leaders, who he said
were "covering up each others breaches while harassing ordinary
citizens."
In a stinging attack, the former Member of Parliament, who
was required to make financial declarations during his tenure
as a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Member of Parliament, accused
the leaders of deceiving the Jamaican public by withholding
the findings from them.
Disgrace
"It is a disgrace that (the commission's report) is not published,"
Mr. Golding told The Sunday Gleaner. "It is the public's
business and if anyone feels that it is that much an invasion
on their privacy they are free to resign as one person did
some years ago."
Attorney Frank Phipps, Q.C, resigned as Senator claiming
he did not believe his private affairs should be divulged
to any entity. Senators are included among those legally bound
to make declarations.
Sunday Gleaner efforts in recent weeks to determine
which Parliamentarians have complied with the Act have met
little success (See related stories on Page 3A). However,
Mr. Golding explained that "ordinary persons like myself have
been harassed for filing late annual returns (GCT, NIS and
Income Tax)... Now something which the law says they must
do is not being done. That is rubbish."
Integrity Commission Chairman Uriel Salmon told The Sunday
Gleaner that there is no law requiring the commission
to table a report in the House of Parliament, although annual
reports are sent there. The same law prohibits Professor Salmon
from discussing the contents of the report, and prohibits
a non-complying House member from naming him or herself without
his permission.
A 1996 report chronicled a long list of persons who had been
in breach of the Act from as far back as 1984. Up to 1996,
some, including many repeat offenders, were still in breach.
One current Parliamentary leader was also in breach. The report
showed that in March 1995 there were 57 outstanding declarations,
which should have been filed at the end of 1994. One year
later, on December 31, 1995, 20 of the 57 declarations were
still outstanding. Additionally, 51 declarations, due prior
to December 31, 1994, were still outstanding a year later
at December 31, 1995.
Professor Salmon, in that report, criticised the Parliamentarians
for tardiness: "The commission wishes to again place on record
their concern at the high rate of delinquency reflected in
the annual reports from year to year, and would wish to see
full compliance on the part of Parliament-arians".
Those in breach then included two current Members of Parliament,
a current Minister and a current Parliamentary leader.
Last week JLP MP Delroy Chuck said he is complying with the
Act.
"Only recently I was asked to declare the proceeds of a car
I sold," Mr. Chuck said.
Two other Parliamentarians admitted they would eventually
make declarations, with one saying he was "extremely busy."
A third said: "They should have an Act for those with nothing
to declare."
