Seaga OPPOSITION LEADER Edward Seaga has dismissed as inadequate, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson's proposals for dealing with corruption in the public sector, and has made seven suggestions of his own.
He was responding to Mr. Patterson's statement to the House of Representatives last Tuesday, during which he announced several new decisions to tackle corruption.
"I cannot believe that the answer to this national crisis in crime and corruption is to be found in the address of Prime Minister Patterson to the House of Representatives on Tuesday, November 7," said Mr. Seaga.
He said that the Government had perfected the device of setting up a committee or commission as an answer to every national scandal or crisis.
Mr. Seaga said that there were no less than six such recently-established agencies or commissions, all without a track record of meaningful success. "It's a device to distract the anger of the people by soothing them in the belief that something effective is being done," he said.
In response, he offered seven proposals to deal with the matter:
That the Government back-off its decision to set up a new police investigative unit within the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and invest the funds, instead, in a significant increase in the staffing of the Police Public Complaints Authority.
Allow the Integrity Commission to send the list of parliamentarians delinquent in making their returns directly to Parliament for automatic public exposure.
The National Contracts Commission to be given powers to cancel all contracts awarded without its approval.
That the Police Commissioner be appointed on the basis of ensuring independence of the position, enabling the Commissioner to wipe out all politically motivated police action and corruption.
The Land Divestment Committee be made to work effectively on a continuing basis and, by power of law, all sales of land not approved by the committee should be made invalid.
The work of the Parliamentary Committee on Charter of Rights be completed quickly and all amendments made to restore its effectiveness.
That the Public Defender stops setting his own agenda and establish his willingness to act, even where it is not in the interest of the Government.
