PSOJ Welcomes Integrity Commission Reports on PETROJAM Calls for Greater Accountability
Kingston, Jamaica: The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) welcomes the long anticipated reports on the PETROJAM investigations and expect a speedy review of the reports by the Parliament Oversight Committee.
We note with concern that the Integrity Commission has also indicated that matters be referred to the Director of Corruption Prosecutions, the Financial Investigations Division and the Commissioner of Police for further investigations.
While the Organisation recognizes the efforts of the political directorate in developing an institutional governance framework, to include the Integrity Commission and Major Organized Crime and AntiCorruption Agency, as well as the increased investment and focused leadership in our justice system, these latest reports appear to justify the perception of most Jamaicans, that for far too long corruption still looms large within our country. Many Jamaicans have therefore lost and continue to lose faith in our systems of governance, accountability and justice.
PSOJ President Keith Duncan in commenting on the matter said, “The overhang of real and/or perceived corrupt practices since Independence has left many Jamaicans sceptical with a high level of mistrust in our leaders across the political, private, public sectors and civil society. Corruption has also stunted the potential growth of our country with the misuse of scarce resources that could have been invested in the building out of education, health, national security, water and other poverty alleviation measures. These measures could have materially bettered the living conditions of our people and created a more investor friendly environment which would have seen greater domestic and foreign investments in Jamaica.”
The PSOJ believes that it is now full time for us all as leaders and citizens to raise the bar of accountability for ourselves and our leaders if we truly want to create a prosperous, fair and equitable Jamaica. We look forward to the swift review of the reports, conclusion of the investigations and for the appropriate justice to be administered.
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