Opposition Leader Robert Corbin has urged President Bharrat Jagdeo to reconsider the nomination of Dr. James Rose to chair the Integrity Commission, saying the appointment is unlikely to inspire public confidence.
Corbin said while Dr. Rose’s affiliation to the ruling PPP/C should not disqualify him from public office, the nature of the Integrity Commission requires a great deal of public confidence given the “highly personal information” on public officials that it would be required to examine. “Mr. Rose’s appointment is unlikely to achieve this objective and, at this early stage, I urge that, in the national interest, you reconsider this matter before our proposed formal meeting,” he wrote in a letter on Wednesday, reminding that Dr. Rose has been a candidate for the PPP/C in two successive elections.
Corbin’s letter follows a strong call by the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) for the withdrawal Dr. Rose’s nomination, based on his alignment to the PPP/C. The GHRA also called for a review of qualifications of the “exclusive” religious membership of the commission.
The Integrity Commission has been the subject of a public debate after President Jagdeo issued an ultimatum to parliamentarians to submit declarations in keeping with the law or face public outings and even possible criminal charges. In the face of criticism by the opposition, questioning the legality of the Commission’s membership, new consultations started recently.
Meanwhile, Corbin, who has not received Curriculum Vitae he requested for Dr. James, also reiterated a call for resumes for all nominees in order to provide a complete response on their candidacy. He added that while he did not intend to question the integrity of the nominees, it must be determined whether they meet the criteria stipulated in the Integrity Act. The Act stipulates that apart from the Chair, other members shall be appointed from among persons “appearing to the President to be qualified as having the experience of, and shown capacity in, law, administration of justice, public administration, social service, finance or accountancy or any other discipline.”
Corbin said that in the absence of full particulars on all the nominees, he was unable to make a proper determination.
He had met with Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds, who was performing the functions of President, on the reconstitution of the Integrity Commission on January 30. At that meeting, he said Hinds advised that government’s proposed nominee for Chairman of the Commission was Dr. Rose and that the other nominee was Savitri Sukhai.
Corbin mentioned that during the meeting he had enquired whether the consultation concerned the constitution of the entire Commission or only the two nominees named and he received “sketchy” particulars on other nominees a week later. As a result, he said he assumed that the consultations proposed relate to the entire Commission.
At a recent press conference, the President reminded that there is a limit to consultation and he hoped to move forward within a reasonable time. For his part, Corbin reminded that the Constitution defines “consultation” or “meaningful consultation” as requiring specifying in writing the subject of the consultation and an intended date for the decision on the subject of consultation, ensuring that each person or entity to be consulted is afforded a reasonable opportunity to express a considered opinion on the subject of the consultation; and preparing and archiving a written record of the consultation and circulating the decision. “Be assured that I remain available at all times to undertake my constitutional obligations as Leader of the Opposition,” he added.
