A Big waste: Costly commissions

Mel Cooke & Tyrone Reid, Sunday Gleaner Reporters

Successive governments have pumped more than $250 million of taxpayers' money into four commissions of enquiry in just over a decade with little to show for the expenditure.

At least one analyst has knocked the State's penchant for setting up these commissions and then failing to implement the findings.

At the same time, a former prime minister believes political meddling has fatally wounded the commissions of enquiry in Jamaica.

Social and political commentator, Dr Paul Ashley, told The Sunday Gleaner that the enquiries have largely been post-mortem examinations. He argued that the full findings from enquiries are not usually publicised or implemented.

"I conclude that they have not been value for money because of those two factors. Even if it cost one cent, it is not value for money because we don't do anything with the findngs," argued Ashley, an attorney-at-law.

These comments come against the background of the Manatt-Dudus enquiry ending on Wednesday, April 20, with attorneys making last-ditch efforts to influence the report which the commissioners are expected to submit by May 16. As the country awaits the result of the well-publicised commission of enquiry, a wide cross section of Jamaicans have questioned whether it was worth the time, effort, and expense.

According to Ashley, there is another deep problem - that is, access to the full reports from the enquiries.

"The results are not usually easily accessible to members of the public," said Ashley, adding that there was no obligation on the Government to implement the findings, and if that does not change then the enquiries will continue to be a waste of time.

However, the attorney pointed out that the implementation of a few of the findings from the report of the commission of enquiry into the Armadale tragedy was an exception to the general practice.

Former prime minister and chancellor of the University of Technology, Edward Seaga, believes in the ideal of a commission of enquiry. However, the former leader of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) said political interference has prevented the enquiries from unearthing the whole truth.

"No commission of enquiry framed on the basis that these have been with political slants will ever be useful," Seaga said.

According to Seaga, commissioners who preside over enquiries should not be selected by the party in power but rather chosen by the governor general and sanctioned by both political parties.

"Commissions of enquiries are a very valuable instrument to enable you to dig deep and find profound truth but the way in which it is established it will never do so." Seaga added: "Very little has come out of them that represent profound truth."

Seaga is convinced that the enquiries have failed to deliver what they were designed to because the fact-finders have been cherry-picked and provided with a mandate.

manatt-dudus bill

The initial bill approved for the Manatt-Dudus enquiry was $37 million, but on March 22, Prime Minister Bruce Golding said that the final cost could go as high as $78 million, although that could not be determined precisely until the enquiry was finished. That has dipped to a projected $60.8 million bill to the Jamaican taxpayers, provided the further $21.4 million allocation is approved.

Another ongoing enquiry, the FINSAC commission of enquiry into the financial sector meltdown of the 1990s, was slated for an additional $33.5 million expenditure in mid-April. If approved, that would take the taxpayers' bill on that enquiry to $140.8 million - and counting.

Added to those costs are the bills for the commission of enquiry into the 'Street People Scandal' and the West Kingston commission of enquiry.

Commission of enquiry into the 'Street People Scandal': On November 5, 2000, The Gleaner reported that the bill was at $4.2 million and could rise to over $5-million. This was after most of the bills had been submitted, but the three commissioners' honorariums had not yet been paid. Carl Patterson led the commission, which lasted over 30 days in Montego Bay, St James. Derek Taylor, the commission's secretary, said that the commissioners' "rate was approximately $10,000 per day each with the chairman (Carl Patterson) getting a little bit more".

no one responsible

The commission of enquiry into the street people scandal found no one criminally responsible, for the abduction of 32 street people from the streets of Montego Bay in the pre-dawn hours of July 15, 1999. They were set loose in St Elizabeth. However, it was revealed that the state's resources - the local authority truck, rope purchased by the council and police officers - had been used.

West Kingston commission of enquiry: On July 31, 2002, The Gleaner reported that then Prime Minister PJ Patterson told Parliament that just over $44.6 million had been spent on the West Kingston commission of enquiry. Among the expenditure was $700,334.90 for chairman of the Commission, Canadian Justice Julius Isaac. As Justice Isaac was still paid a salary by the Canadian government while chairing the enquiry, he was not paid a salary by the Jamaican Government but there was a per diem of Cdn$130 daily for 184 days. All payments were made directly to the Canadian High Commission.

His accommodation at the Courtleigh Hotel cost $479,000.

FINSAC : Charles Ross

Cost: Ongoing, commission of enquiry into the financial sector meltdown of the 1990s, was allotted an additional $33.5 million expenditure in mid-April. If approved, that would take the taxpayers' bill on this enquiry to $140.8 million - and counting.

Outcome: To be determined.

Manatt-Dudus: Emil George

Cost: Prime Minister Bruce Golding said that the final cost could go as high as $78 million, although that could not be determined precisely until the enquiry was finished.

Outcome: To be determined.

West Kingston : Velma Hylton

Cost: Just over $44.6 million had been spent on

the west Kingston commission of enquiry. Among the expenditure was $700,334.90 for chairman of the commission, Canadian Justice Julius Isaac.

Outcome: Members of the security forces were cleared of the shooting in western Kingston from July 7-10, 2000, which resulted in 27 people being killed, including a JDF soldier and a policeman.

Street People: Carl Patterson

Cost: Over $5 million. This was after most of the bills had been submitted minus commissioners' honorariums. The commission lasted over 30 days in Montego Bay, St James. The commissioners' rate was approximately $10,000 per day

Outcome: No one criminally responsible, for the abduction of 32 street people from the streets of Montego Bay in the pre-dawn hours of July 15, 1999.