(Jamaica Observer) The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) boycotted yesterday’s signing and media launch of a Code of Conduct to govern the Partnership for Transformation citing, among other things, a lack of trust and respect by the ruling party.
Giving detailed reasons for the snub, Opposition Leader and President of the PNP Portia Simpson Miller urged the Government to deal with certain issues which it said must be addressed if there is to be cooperation.
“Care has not been taken by the Government to update the Partnership for Transformation Agreement to represent current national circumstances,” Simpson Miller wrote in her letter to Prime Minister Bruce Golding.
“The document provided to the Opposition only this past week, seems to be an early draft of the agreement which still requires editing and updating. The section on Fiscal & Monetary policies, beginning on page 13 is a case in point, where reference is made to the ‘Pending IMF Agreement’.
“The Opposition cannot agree to be bound by a document which terms are outdated and erroneous,” Simpson Miller wrote.
Simpson Miller said that the government continued to be insincere.
“The Opposition is concerned that the stated commitments of both the Code of Conduct and the Partnership for Transformation Agreement are not in keeping with the Government’s actual operational practices. On page 5 of The Agreement, the last paragraph reads: ‘The Government, reaffirming that the key principles of transparency, consultation and accountability are required to engender trust and confidence in all government processes, commit to bring these principles to the partnership process’. The Opposition maintains that the design and implementation of the JDIP demonstrate the insincerity of this commitment.
The Partnership for Transformation seeks to improve initiatives aimed at cementing social partnerships in Jamaica.
Apart from the government and opposition, it has representatives from the trade unions, the private sector and civil society.
The Partnership for Transformation seeks also to provide a sound foundation for social partnership in Jamaica.
The signing went ahead nonetheless, with Golding extending another invitation to the Opposition to participate, saying that it would send a positive signal to the people of Jamaica.
“Unless we find a common purpose and unless we find a way to place all hands on deck, we will not achieve a growth and prosperity that we seek, not in a sustained way, not in a way that will traverse changes in political administration that will survive the setbacks that we will encounter from time to time,” Golding said.
