Gareth Manning, Gleaner Writer
Bruce Golding, Leader of the Opposition, makes his contribution to the 2006/07 Budget Debate in Gordon House last Thursday, while from left, colleagues Audley Shaw and Ken Baugh listen attentively. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
OPPOSITION LEADER, Bruce Golding's contribution to the Budget Debate on Thursday has won applause from a number of human rights lobbyists, academics and economists.
Mr. Golding made a number of suggestions aimed at protecting Jamaicans' rights and privileges. He also made a number of proposals to strengthen governance and empower people as well as economic strategies to boost tourism development.
A summary of Mr. Golding's proposals and reactions to them
follow:
GOLDING ON TOURISM & TAXATION
Government should diversify tourism by attracting more high-end tourists and developing Kingston as a regional shopping centre.
National Insurance Fund and National Housing Trust should not be used for any other purpose except for which they were established.
Increase the tax-free threshold from $234,000 to $1 million.
REACTIONS FROM ...
ERROL GREGORY, ECONOMIST
USING FUNDS FROM NIS AND NHT
"Especially in a context where there is a concern about accountability and transparency, I agree with Mr. Golding that we should approach that one with serious caution. Whereas one may want to be pragmatic, there may be a one-off situation where some of those funds may have to be used if there is a desperate social need. But outside that I think if we have the funds designated for one purpose, then let's use it for that."
INCREASING THE TAX-FREE THRESHOLD
"The first thing Dr. Davies would say is he wants to know how much revenue we would have to give up. But the counter argument to that would be the perceived and realised benefits. The idea really is to lift the living standards of the workforce and the assumption is when you do that you are likely to increase the productivity of the workforce. And you will be lifting the material wellbeing of the population. The key issue is how much it would cost the treasury to do that. What would be the cost of such a policy measure?
DENNIS MORRISON, ECONOMIST
DIVERSIFICATION OF TOURISM
"I think we need to deal a little more straightly. Meaning that if we want high-end business, we want high-end business ... We are going after investment in Harmony Cove (which) is going to bring 5,000 new rooms. You have the Golden Eye luxury property. You have the Palmyra, 500 luxury apartments for the first time in Jamaica. What clearer evidence do you need to show that that is being pursued? You don't have to criticise that, you find something else to criticise. For example, you criticise that more needs to be done for the operators of small hotels to reposition themselves to deal with competition and I couldn't quarrel with him if he said that."
GOLDING ON HUMAN RIGHTS
A speedier move to have the Charter of Rights entrenched in the Constitution.
Transform the Office of the Public Defender.
Establish an independent authority to investigate the abuse of human rights.
Appoint a special coroner.
Transforming the Office
of the DPP.
REACTION FROM YVONNE
SOBERS- FAMILIES AGAINST
STATE TERRORISM (FAST)
The Charter of Rights. "This is a document that allows for respect rights. I think such a document is overdue and I would only be concerned about the constraints that may be placed on people's rights in such a charter. But I think it is long overdue."
Transform the Office of the Public Defender. "I think it should be an office to which people can look to have their rights defended. Too often when I appeal to that office I found that they don't have the necessary resources.
Independent authority to investigate human rights abuse."That is about two decades late already. Institutions have been set up like the Police Public Complaints Authority. It has not been given neither the resources nor the power or the sense that there is the will to get the task done. I really do not believe that the police can credibly investigate police abuses."
Transforming the Office of the DPP. "That office is at the centre of justice because that is the office that determines essentially who is going to be prosecuted or not. I have spoken with the DPP in the U.K. and I notice that there is a lot of community interaction so that people understand how the justice process works and how the DPP is working for them.
Independent authority to investigate human rights. "We have been calling for an independent authority to investigate abuses of human rights since our inception. There is a body called the Police Public Complaints Authority which nobody knows about which is unable to investigate effectively because it is underresourced."
Appointing a special coroner. "It is something that we have said repeatedly that the huge backlog in the Coroner's Court, something needs to be done about it. At last count there were 600 cases awaiting termination in the Coroner's Court in Kingston, some of them stretching back eight years. As to the specifics of the special coroner, we would have to look more closely at that."
Office of the DPP. "We have been seeking transformation of that office for a long time now. We think that there are real issues with that office, its accountability. No office in the Jamaican Constitution should be unaccountable to anybody. It's high time. We are in the 21st century and we need to ensure that the office is performing its functions."
GOLDING ON GOVERNANCE
That the current Westminster model be re-engineered to strengthen the role of the Opposition.
Strengthen the role of the Opposition on parliamentary committees to enforce accountability.
Fix election dates, term limits, fixing the structure of Cabinet in the Constitution.
Set up a committee to monitor garrison communities and impeach politicians involved with criminals.
Set up a committee to monitor the funding of political parties.
REACTION FROM RICHARD CRAWFORD LECTURER, DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT, UWI, MONA
Westminster model. "As far as constitutional reform proposals made by Mr. Golding ... I think they are very welcome. They are long overdue. The country has discussed this issue for a very long time and has not done much about it. I think Mr. Golding has repurchased some credibility because the country had thought that he really abandoned the NDM and went back on to platform for the JLP purely for gaining political power.
More Opposition chairing parliamentary committees. "The intention is good, but I am not supportive of his recommendation for another committee. I have had enough committees and I think we have too many. What we need to do is streamline some of the committees.
Fixing election, term limits and Cabinet. "Fixing the election date is a commendable issue because we know so well in this country that election dates have been determined by sitting prime ministers to their advantage. A fixed election date tends to take away a lot of that cloudiness from the administration of government. Fixing the term limits has my full support. Term limits allows other leaders to come forward and show what they can do and I think that this is better for any system of management, whether it be government or any industry.
Committee to monitor garrisons. "This is the major crisis of this country. We have had numerous reports. It's all very well documented already. By all means yes [we should have such a committee]."
Committee to monitor political party funding. "That is well thought out. A very important recommendation because this happens to be one of the greatest problems in world politics today. We cannot shy away from it any longer."
