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Exodus! - People's National Party (PNP) officials vacate State-owned homes; hand over SUVs
published: Friday | September 21, 2007
Tyrone Reid, [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Enterprise[/COLOR][/COLOR] Reporter
'To the best of my knowledge, ministers and state ministers, who occupied state residences would have already moved out or would have been well down the wicket in that regard' - PICKERSGILL
After nearly two decades of political supremacy, former Cabinet ministers, junior ministers, advisers and other 'genetically' connected officials of the People's National Party (PNP) have almost completed a mass exodus from Government into the political wilderness where there are no perks.
Executive offices at the various ministries have been swabbed clean and the new ministers have since taken up residence. Meanwhile, many officials, who occupied State-owned houses, have already vacated the premises to make room for members of the new administration, while others are making the final arrangements to do the same. Not only do many of them have to return the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]sports [COLOR=orange! important]utility [/COLOR][COLOR=orange! important]vehicles[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] (SUVs) and other posh cars assigned to them, the former ministers must also hand in the Advance cards with which they purchased petrol, some of which had tabs of up to $33,000 a month.
Protocol
In keeping with protocol, all government boards are expected to resign en bloc. However, as the mass movement continues, a high-ranking source in the PNP lamented that there needs to be a code of conduct that governs this transition of power to avoid unnecessary embarrassments.
"There have been embarrassments in the past for both political parties people coming and rushing you to move out and sending for motor vehicle keys. (Imagine a) man come to you and say 'hand over the keys', like you are some criminal," the source revealed.
"You should not leave like any thief in the night. You should be given two weeks to a month to leave," the source suggested.
Necessary arrangements
The impeccable source reasoned that this time is needed to allow public officials to make the necessary arrangements to demit office and return the relevant perks. "I know for a fact that some ministers did not buy (other vehicles), they depended on what was provided."
However, Robert Pickersgill, chairman of the PNP, told The Gleaner that the exodus was almost complete. "To the best of my knowledge, ministers and state ministers, who occupied state residences would have already moved out or would have been well down the wicket in that regard."
He added: "Speaking for myself, I have already moved out and returned the keys to the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]SUV[/COLOR][/COLOR] in tip-top shape. I am sufficiently proud not to have anybody ask me to move (out)."
The former Minister of Housing, Water, [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Transport[/COLOR][/COLOR] and Works revealed that while he did not vacate his office before the elections, he did so in time to accommodate the new Minister.
Harry Douglas, former State Minister in the Ministry of Local Government and Environment, told The Gleaner yesterday that he exited his office two weeks before the election. Mr. Douglas made it clear that he did not occupy a State-owned house, because he was forewarned about the hassles and inconveniences that could come. "I did not live in a [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]government [COLOR=orange! important]house[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] because there are no guarantees," he explained.
In addition, Mr. Douglas also pointed out that he has returned the keys to the SUV he was assigned during his tenure as Junior Minister under the Portia Simpson-Miller led administration.
Public officials can seek to purchase the vehicles or houses that they occupied. While, it was not ascertained how many of the officials will be going this route, Mr. Douglas made it clear that he is not among them. "I turned that (vehicle) in a couple days after the election, I did not want any arguments so I returned the vehicle," he explained.
Robert Bryan, former chairman of the scandal-plagued National Solid Waste Management Authority told our news team that he tendered his resignation earlier this week by way of a letter to Prime Minister Bruce Golding. He also said that the other board members were expected to do the same, as that was the consensus at the last board meeting.
At the same time, Penelope Goldsmith, Company Secretary at the Fiscal Services Limited (FSL), pointed out that members of FSL's board have written and signed their resignation letters. However, she was unable to say if the letters have reached the hands of the Minister, who has portfolio responsibility for the government-owned information technology company.
Some of the organisations whose boards should have resigned by now
Air Jamaica
Universal Access Fund
CHASE Fund
Jamaica Tourist Board
Bank of Jamaica
National Housing Development Corporation
National Housing Trust
Urban Development Corporation
National Solid Waste Management Authority
Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica
Fiscal Services Limited
Jamaica Trade and Invest (JAMPRO)
HEART/NTA
Port Authority of Jamaica
National Health Fund
National Irrigation Commission
Planning Institute of Jamaica
Coffee Industry Board Health Corporation of Jamaica
published: Friday | September 21, 2007
Tyrone Reid, [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Enterprise[/COLOR][/COLOR] Reporter
'To the best of my knowledge, ministers and state ministers, who occupied state residences would have already moved out or would have been well down the wicket in that regard' - PICKERSGILL
After nearly two decades of political supremacy, former Cabinet ministers, junior ministers, advisers and other 'genetically' connected officials of the People's National Party (PNP) have almost completed a mass exodus from Government into the political wilderness where there are no perks.
Executive offices at the various ministries have been swabbed clean and the new ministers have since taken up residence. Meanwhile, many officials, who occupied State-owned houses, have already vacated the premises to make room for members of the new administration, while others are making the final arrangements to do the same. Not only do many of them have to return the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]sports [COLOR=orange! important]utility [/COLOR][COLOR=orange! important]vehicles[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] (SUVs) and other posh cars assigned to them, the former ministers must also hand in the Advance cards with which they purchased petrol, some of which had tabs of up to $33,000 a month.
Protocol
In keeping with protocol, all government boards are expected to resign en bloc. However, as the mass movement continues, a high-ranking source in the PNP lamented that there needs to be a code of conduct that governs this transition of power to avoid unnecessary embarrassments.
"There have been embarrassments in the past for both political parties people coming and rushing you to move out and sending for motor vehicle keys. (Imagine a) man come to you and say 'hand over the keys', like you are some criminal," the source revealed.
"You should not leave like any thief in the night. You should be given two weeks to a month to leave," the source suggested.
Necessary arrangements
The impeccable source reasoned that this time is needed to allow public officials to make the necessary arrangements to demit office and return the relevant perks. "I know for a fact that some ministers did not buy (other vehicles), they depended on what was provided."
However, Robert Pickersgill, chairman of the PNP, told The Gleaner that the exodus was almost complete. "To the best of my knowledge, ministers and state ministers, who occupied state residences would have already moved out or would have been well down the wicket in that regard."
He added: "Speaking for myself, I have already moved out and returned the keys to the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]SUV[/COLOR][/COLOR] in tip-top shape. I am sufficiently proud not to have anybody ask me to move (out)."
The former Minister of Housing, Water, [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Transport[/COLOR][/COLOR] and Works revealed that while he did not vacate his office before the elections, he did so in time to accommodate the new Minister.
Harry Douglas, former State Minister in the Ministry of Local Government and Environment, told The Gleaner yesterday that he exited his office two weeks before the election. Mr. Douglas made it clear that he did not occupy a State-owned house, because he was forewarned about the hassles and inconveniences that could come. "I did not live in a [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]government [COLOR=orange! important]house[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] because there are no guarantees," he explained.
In addition, Mr. Douglas also pointed out that he has returned the keys to the SUV he was assigned during his tenure as Junior Minister under the Portia Simpson-Miller led administration.
Public officials can seek to purchase the vehicles or houses that they occupied. While, it was not ascertained how many of the officials will be going this route, Mr. Douglas made it clear that he is not among them. "I turned that (vehicle) in a couple days after the election, I did not want any arguments so I returned the vehicle," he explained.
Robert Bryan, former chairman of the scandal-plagued National Solid Waste Management Authority told our news team that he tendered his resignation earlier this week by way of a letter to Prime Minister Bruce Golding. He also said that the other board members were expected to do the same, as that was the consensus at the last board meeting.
At the same time, Penelope Goldsmith, Company Secretary at the Fiscal Services Limited (FSL), pointed out that members of FSL's board have written and signed their resignation letters. However, she was unable to say if the letters have reached the hands of the Minister, who has portfolio responsibility for the government-owned information technology company.
Some of the organisations whose boards should have resigned by now
Air Jamaica
Universal Access Fund
CHASE Fund
Jamaica Tourist Board
Bank of Jamaica
National Housing Development Corporation
National Housing Trust
Urban Development Corporation
National Solid Waste Management Authority
Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica
Fiscal Services Limited
Jamaica Trade and Invest (JAMPRO)
HEART/NTA
Port Authority of Jamaica
National Health Fund
National Irrigation Commission
Planning Institute of Jamaica
Coffee Industry Board Health Corporation of Jamaica
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