SENATE PRESIDENT Syringa Marshall-Burnett, has warned Parliamentarians about making their declarations of assets for 2000/2001 by the deadline of March 31.
She said that nothing could flow from the attempts of the Government to strengthen the Parliament (Integrity of Members) Act, to ensure against corruption in public life, without the first step which was making the declarations to the Integrity Commis-sion.
She was speaking on Friday after the Senate had passed amendments to the Act, making Parliamentarians answerable to the proposed Corruption Preven-tion Commission, as well as the Integrity Commis-sion.
"I wish to remind all, including myself, that at this time we have a period of grace until March 31 to file our returns. I do not wish to see any memo from the Integrity Commission again, after April 1, naming any Senator, or any Parlia-mentarian for that matter, as having failed to report," she said.
"I think that's part of the respect we owe to Parliament and part of the respect we owe ourselves and the values and attitudes we develop as Parliamentarians enjoin us to respect what we do in here."
The House of Representatives is still awaiting Prime Minister P.J. Patterson's tabling of the names of MPs who failed to submit declarations in 1999/2000 as required under the Act.
Mr. Patterson had promised to table the names in December, but said he was unable to meet that deadline because the Integrity Commission's tenure had expired and he had to await the appointment of a new Commission.
The Prime Minister, however, advised delinquent MPs in December to make the declarations in the meantime.
