THE EDITOR, Sir:
WE WRITE in response to a letter to the Editor, titled 'En-dorsing private products' published in The Gleaner of October 29, 2003.
Like the writer, Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) does disagree with the advertisements in which one of our senior officers endorsed the product of a client of ours. We deem this inappropriate and therefore apologise for this error in judgement, which the writer has interpreted as a 'conflict of interest'.
According to Mrs. Crooks, she was asked to be the subject for the ad portraying a 'business executive'. She has informed us that there was an agreement in which no link was to be made to JAMPRO or to her substantive position. In a letter of apology from Digicel, Harry Smith, marketing director, has said that, "any suggestion or inference that JAMPRO was in any way involved in endorsing our product is regretted."
JAMPRO's procedures manual states clearly that "employees are not permitted to engage in any private or commercial work or other business activity, for payment or reward where there is a potential conflict of interest, with either the work of JAMPRO or the job of the individual concerned."
We therefore regret this action, which may have tarnished our record of adhering to the highest ethical standards and wish to reassure the public that we still aim to treat with all investors impartially.
I am, etc.,
PATRICIA FRANCIS
President, JAMPRO
