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Public officials say civil service could be crippled - PM

Published:Saturday | December 10, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Dr Peter Phillips (left), opposition spokesman on finance, shakes hands with Prime Minister Andrew Holness, as Professor Trevor Munroe, director of the National Integrity Action Forum, looks on. The occasion was the launch of the United Nations International Anti-Corruption Day held at the Mona Visitors' Lodge, St Andrew, yesterday. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer


Prime Minister Andrew Holness has revealed that a group of "public officials" have raised concerns that some of the proposed changes to the Contractor General Act could place them at risk for matters they have no control over.



Holness declined to identify the group but said its members were concerned that the proposed changes, which seek to criminalise serious breaches in the Government's contract award procedures could also cripple the civil service.


"It could literally bring government to a halt and could add a long period of time between the inception of a project and the actual approval for implementation," he explained.


Going forward with amendments


Holness, who was speaking at the launch of the United Nations International Anti-Corruption Day at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus, said the concerns would not prevent the amendments from going forward.


He, however, gave the assurance that they would be carefully examined by the Government to ensure there is an alignment between responsibility and authority.


Holness acknowledged that in imposing and strengthening legislation, public officials can be "involuntarily" placed at risk for matters over which they have no control.


"There are some persons charged to do certain things, but they really don't have the authority to carry them out. The authority rests somewhere else," he explained.


"They (the group of public officials) pointed out to me that having such an amendment of the law could literally cripple the civil service," he added.