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It he pulls this off he will go down as one on the great PM.
No more 'Secrets' - Golding gives Independence 2012 deadline for repeal of decades-old law
Published: Wednesday | January 26, 2011 11 Comments
Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding
[COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]Prime [COLOR=blue !important]Minister[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] Bruce Golding, whose Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) promised in 2006 to repeal the Official Secrets Act, has declared the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]legislation[/COLOR][/COLOR] will be struck from the nation's law books before Independence Day next year. Golding, who yesterday claimed ignorance about the fact that Jamaican [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]lawmakers[/COLOR][/COLOR] had not authored the act, joined two other legislators - Phillip Paulwell and Ronald Thwaites - in saying it conflicts with provisions of modern Jamaican legislation.
"This has no place, and if next year we are going to be celebrating 50 years of Independence, then I would like to say bye-bye to this before we get to that 50," Golding told the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]House [COLOR=blue !important]of [/COLOR][COLOR=blue !important]Representatives[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR].
His comments followed similar ones made by Thwaites and Paulwell during the debate on the protected disclosure bill, popularly referred to as the whistleblower act.
Paulwell, member of parliament for East Kingston and Port Royal, said in the House of Representatives yesterday that the decades-old legislation has outlived its purpose.
"It is time for us to abolish the Official Secrets Act," Paulwell said. Similarly, Thwaites said the time had come for modern legislation governing the protection of certain information to be enacted.
"I agree with you that it has to go, but the notion of simply just dispensing with it and then we move on is something that we need to be cautious about," Golding said.
He added: "There is going to have to be a framework dealing with confidentiality within the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]public [COLOR=blue !important]service[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]."
The Official Secrets Act of 1911, imported from England, prohibits public servants from revealing certain information which would affect areas such as national security.
Burden of secrecy
The act, though amended in 1989, places a great burden of secrecy on a member or former member of the security and intelligence services, or those working closely with them.
The responsibilities of public servants under that act came in for sharp debate last year after former police commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin made startling accusations about the reaction of government ministers to the United States' extradition request for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.
After Lewin revealed what took place during a meeting in which he informed National Security Minister Dwight Nelson that the extradition request was imminent, Nelson said the Government would be looking through the Official Secrets Act to find clauses under which Lewin could be forced to keep his mouth shut.
Promise to repeal law
In 2006, the JLP said it would repeal the legislation if it formed the government. The party then repeated the promise in its 2007 manifesto.
However, yesterday Golding looked inquisitively at a photocopied piece of the legislation, saying it was the first time he was seeing it. He even quipped that the coat of arms on it bore a lion which is "not the lion of Judah" and pledged his Government's commitment to repeal it.
"What we are talking about is getting rid of this anachronistic something that we have and see if we can agree, what is the framework to be put in place ... we have the Access to Information Act, we know that there are certain thresholds of access that we have establish ... ," he said.
Meanwhile, Golding said there are several pieces of legislation which now affect the secrecy with which Government can operate.
"We are going to have to look at the rules. My intention is not to allow Government a sort of insulated, protected area to do as it likes, but the efficient administration of Government cannot run without some framework of secrecy," Golding said.
No more 'Secrets' - Golding gives Independence 2012 deadline for repeal of decades-old law
Published: Wednesday | January 26, 2011 11 Comments
Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding
[COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]Prime [COLOR=blue !important]Minister[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] Bruce Golding, whose Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) promised in 2006 to repeal the Official Secrets Act, has declared the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]legislation[/COLOR][/COLOR] will be struck from the nation's law books before Independence Day next year. Golding, who yesterday claimed ignorance about the fact that Jamaican [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]lawmakers[/COLOR][/COLOR] had not authored the act, joined two other legislators - Phillip Paulwell and Ronald Thwaites - in saying it conflicts with provisions of modern Jamaican legislation.
"This has no place, and if next year we are going to be celebrating 50 years of Independence, then I would like to say bye-bye to this before we get to that 50," Golding told the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]House [COLOR=blue !important]of [/COLOR][COLOR=blue !important]Representatives[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR].
His comments followed similar ones made by Thwaites and Paulwell during the debate on the protected disclosure bill, popularly referred to as the whistleblower act.
Paulwell, member of parliament for East Kingston and Port Royal, said in the House of Representatives yesterday that the decades-old legislation has outlived its purpose.
"It is time for us to abolish the Official Secrets Act," Paulwell said. Similarly, Thwaites said the time had come for modern legislation governing the protection of certain information to be enacted.
"I agree with you that it has to go, but the notion of simply just dispensing with it and then we move on is something that we need to be cautious about," Golding said.
He added: "There is going to have to be a framework dealing with confidentiality within the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]public [COLOR=blue !important]service[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]."
The Official Secrets Act of 1911, imported from England, prohibits public servants from revealing certain information which would affect areas such as national security.
Burden of secrecy
The act, though amended in 1989, places a great burden of secrecy on a member or former member of the security and intelligence services, or those working closely with them.
The responsibilities of public servants under that act came in for sharp debate last year after former police commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin made startling accusations about the reaction of government ministers to the United States' extradition request for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.
After Lewin revealed what took place during a meeting in which he informed National Security Minister Dwight Nelson that the extradition request was imminent, Nelson said the Government would be looking through the Official Secrets Act to find clauses under which Lewin could be forced to keep his mouth shut.
Promise to repeal law
In 2006, the JLP said it would repeal the legislation if it formed the government. The party then repeated the promise in its 2007 manifesto.
However, yesterday Golding looked inquisitively at a photocopied piece of the legislation, saying it was the first time he was seeing it. He even quipped that the coat of arms on it bore a lion which is "not the lion of Judah" and pledged his Government's commitment to repeal it.
"What we are talking about is getting rid of this anachronistic something that we have and see if we can agree, what is the framework to be put in place ... we have the Access to Information Act, we know that there are certain thresholds of access that we have establish ... ," he said.
Meanwhile, Golding said there are several pieces of legislation which now affect the secrecy with which Government can operate.
"We are going to have to look at the rules. My intention is not to allow Government a sort of insulated, protected area to do as it likes, but the efficient administration of Government cannot run without some framework of secrecy," Golding said.
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