Tweet
Gov't MP accuses JEEP of registering thieves
Wednesday, July 10, 2013 | 7:37 PM
KINGSTON, Jamaica — People’s National Party (PNP) Member of Parliament, Jolyan Silvera claimed Wednesday that the government’s public employment programme, the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) is registering and legitimising praedial thieves.
Silvera said that no verification of people who are being registered under the agricultural aspects of the programme was being done and people were getting registered and using the IDs to protect them from prosecution as thieves.
“I can tell you that the JEEP programme also registers thieves…when you stop them they can show you a legitimate ID that they are goat farmers, and they go and steal 20 goats, and you cannot do them anything, and this has happened in Gayle, St Mary,” the first-time MP told the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) at Gordon House.
He said that the registration process requires persons to go to police stations to be registered, but after that there was no verification to see if they are really farmers.
Despite claims by the permanent secretary in the Agriculture Ministry, Donovan Stanberry, and chief executive officer of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) Lenworth Fulton that there was registration and verification in the process, the Western St Mary MP insisted that he knew better.
He said that the lack of verification was legitimising praedial thieves as registered farmers and regularising their criminal activities.
“It is bringing them into the system and it is a reality and we have to go back and start…we have to go back to the basics and deal with every ‘farmer’ who says he is a farmer,” Silvera said.
Stanberry argued that IDs were only issued after verification, which would make it difficult for non-farmers to be registered.
But Silvera insisted that people were being registered “whether they have one root of banana or one tree of coconuts”.
“I know, as fact, that you have persons who, literally, don’t go out there, but sign off on everything…and these are the officers of RADA.
“It exists, let’s not deny that,” Silvera charged, while suggesting that the whole issue could be thrashed out when the RADA team returns next week to the PAAC.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz2YhBw7pox
Wednesday, July 10, 2013 | 7:37 PM
KINGSTON, Jamaica — People’s National Party (PNP) Member of Parliament, Jolyan Silvera claimed Wednesday that the government’s public employment programme, the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) is registering and legitimising praedial thieves.
Silvera said that no verification of people who are being registered under the agricultural aspects of the programme was being done and people were getting registered and using the IDs to protect them from prosecution as thieves.
“I can tell you that the JEEP programme also registers thieves…when you stop them they can show you a legitimate ID that they are goat farmers, and they go and steal 20 goats, and you cannot do them anything, and this has happened in Gayle, St Mary,” the first-time MP told the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) at Gordon House.
He said that the registration process requires persons to go to police stations to be registered, but after that there was no verification to see if they are really farmers.
Despite claims by the permanent secretary in the Agriculture Ministry, Donovan Stanberry, and chief executive officer of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) Lenworth Fulton that there was registration and verification in the process, the Western St Mary MP insisted that he knew better.
He said that the lack of verification was legitimising praedial thieves as registered farmers and regularising their criminal activities.
“It is bringing them into the system and it is a reality and we have to go back and start…we have to go back to the basics and deal with every ‘farmer’ who says he is a farmer,” Silvera said.
Stanberry argued that IDs were only issued after verification, which would make it difficult for non-farmers to be registered.
But Silvera insisted that people were being registered “whether they have one root of banana or one tree of coconuts”.
“I know, as fact, that you have persons who, literally, don’t go out there, but sign off on everything…and these are the officers of RADA.
“It exists, let’s not deny that,” Silvera charged, while suggesting that the whole issue could be thrashed out when the RADA team returns next week to the PAAC.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz2YhBw7pox
Comment