Punish them
Calls mount for action against leaders who breach ethical and criminal standards
CONCERNED THAT too many persons in leadership positions across Jamaica are avoiding punishment for criminal and ethical breaches, Allison Peart, Ernst & Young country managing and tax partner in Jamaica, is calling for steps to ensure that persons pay when they step out of line.
Addressing a Gleaner Jamaica Under Labour Stakeholders Forum last Thursday, Peart argued that the issue of ethics and punishment for breaches must be done wherever they occur.
“It starts at the top of all institutions, not just the Government. The banks, the schools, all our churches, our leaders, if we don’t address the situation of ethics, that is, doing the right thing all the time, and punishing people, if people get away with certain behaviour, then our young people think it’s OK,” said Peart.
She said if the society makes the decision to follow ethical rules, and punishment is executed where rules are not followed, then it will be a demonstration that the right thing should be done.
“So your member of parliament should not have tax-evasion issues, and I am not talking about a mistake, because all of us make mistakes. We can’t have where they deliberately don’t pay their taxes. That person should not be in the system. If they have ties to criminality and those are investigated and found to be true, that should be dealt with,” added Peart.
CRIMINAL UNDERWORLD
She said for church leaders who were taking money from persons in the criminal underworld, a stop should be put to it.
According to Peart, in some instances there are Jamaicans who know about these deeds but are refusing to speak, because there is no trust for the investigating agencies, like the police.
“So, therefore, I am saying, we have a new police commissioner, we are hopeful that some changes are going to be made, to make sure that the comments made about our police force are addressed. And we need to be honest with ourselves about leaders,” said Peart.
She questioned whether Jamaicans were taking a critical look at their political representatives before voting for them.
But economist John Jackson told the forum that many voters cared very little about who their MPs were, as some persons who questions have been raised about are often elected for several consecutive terms.
In the meantime, Professor Trevor Munroe, head of the corruption watchdog, National Integrity Action (NIA), in supporting Peart, argued that after so many years Jamaicans should have the right to recall MPs who fail the ethics test.
He said surveys have that been done showed that a high percentage of Jamaican youngsters know the right thing, but there was a huge deficit between knowing and doing.
Munroe noted that former Prime Minister Bruce Golding had said the Code of Political Conduct should be made into statute, and pointed to other codes of conduct, such as those for the legal and medical sectors, which are set in law.