Matters pertaining to the gag clause limiting just how much and what the Integrity Commission can share in the public domain have for the fourth consecutive year triggered heated discourse in Parliament’s Joint Select Committee on the Act. This time, however, the Opposition’s Julian Robinson urged the Commission to focus less on announcements and more on nabbing the big criminals.
Since 2018 when the Integrity Commission Act was enacted, a gag clause preventing just how much is said about the state of investigations by the body seemed a hard sell. So much so that for the last 4 years the body has been seeking to amend it fearing the less the people know of their work the less likely the public will believe they are indeed working.
However, Opposition Member of Parliament Julian Robinson in reviewing the Act, argues the public is more interested in seeing the corrupt brought to justice than being told what the committee is investigating.
Justice Minister Delroy Chuck agrees that sections of the act can be adjusted to facilitate reporting to parliament in the interest of the public much like the arrangement with the auditor general’s reports that are tabled in parliament. He however has concerns about how much is shared and the implications if lawsuits come from the issue.
The Executive Director in response noted the views shared on the matter reiterating that their arguments were not personal.
