Correction & Clarification

In today's article 'Winning back the trust', Trevor Munroe was identified as director of the National Integrity Action Forum. Munroe was, however, speaking in his personal capacity and not on behalf of the forum.


Advice to PM and his team on how to regain the confidence of Jamaicans still sceptical about the Manatt muddle

The Manatt, Phelps & Phillips saga - which was born out of the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) efforts to lobby the US Government through the US law firm in relation to the extradition request for former Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke - continues to haunt the Government despite attempts by the administration to put the matter to rest.

With Prime Minister Bruce Golding and his administration facing repeated questions about its integrity, The Sunday Gleaner asked:

What can the Government do to ensure it regains the trust of the people?

Dr Carolyn Gomes - executive director for Jamaicans for Justice

"To build back trust, whether in personal life or public life, requires full truth and penitence and it requires an understanding of the damage that has been done, not what you meant to do, not what you thought you did, but the damage that you actually did.

"It is a process, it is not an instantaneous thing, and it requires not denigrating people's doubt but acknowledging the basis for those doubts and reassuring with the truth. An attack mode is not going to do it."

Rev Peter Garth - pastor, Hope Gospel Assembly

"Trust is extremely hard to rebuild but it is not something that is insurmountable, and I feel that the Government needs to do everything possible to show the public that they want to come clean, and one of the things that should be on that list is to have a commission of enquiry on the matter.

"Once you do not have it the perception - sometimes perception is stronger than reality - will be that you have something to hide.

"I feel it for the prime minister at this time because it is difficult to go from day to day, week to week with the constant question of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and, therefore, I think the time has come for all the cards to be laid on the table so that you can begin to rebuild trust."

Professor Trevor Munroe - founder of the National Integrity Action Forum

"The prime minister must begin to make his word his bond. He committed to 15 fundamental reforms in governance in a national broadcast of May 17. These included provisions for impeachment of public officials (including, I would expect, prime ministers), laws to regulate party financing, etc.

"These commitments, made over three and a half months ago, need to be laid on the table of the House as soon as Parliament resumes, along with timelines and responsibilities for their implementation and followed by quarterly reports thereafter on progress in implementation.

"The prime minister needs to indicate to the country who did not follow his instructions, and what sanctions have been or are being applied to such persons for failure to follow the instructions of the head of our Government in such a critical matter.

"The prime minister needs to ensure that, even under pressure of what he may regard as provocation, he and his ministers act with 'humility' and 'avoid what comes across as arrogance and disrespect', to use his own words."

Kevin O'Brien Chang - Gleaner columnist

"The first thing I would do is to give a full timeline of the story. I am on record, this is what happened as far as I know.

"What the Government has said doesn't seem implausible to me but to the extent, according to Mr Golding, he gave instructions and they were not followed, and that's where the mistake happened.

"Now, if you give instructions and they are not followed, somebody must be reprimanded or take the blame. That is where the missing link is for me now."

Peter John Thwaites - chairman of the PSOJ's National Security Committee

"... Bruce Golding made a speech and apologised in May and said that he was going to do the following things to make up for the mistrust that the people have naturally developed in him, including me and everybody that I know of, and we need to keep him to those promises. That is what we have to do."