THE ruling People’s National Party (PNP) goes into the public session of its 75th annual conference today with mounting pressure on the Government, led by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, to clean up its act.

The resignation Friday of minister of state in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing, Richard Azan, and the rebuke of minister of science, technology, energy and mining, Phillip Paulwell by Contractor General Dirk Harrison have opened new wounds in the ongoing battle to sanitise governance, political observers have said.

Azan was cited by the contractor general for his role in the illegal construction of 10 wooden shops at the Spalding Market in his North West Clarendon constituency.

Paulwell was chided by Harrison, who said the minister compromised the 360-megawatt generation plant bid process, a claim that Paulwell, who is no stranger to controversy, has dismissed as untrue.

“The prime minister must act now, in this the 75th year of the People’s National Party, to reshuffle her twoyear-old Cabinet and allow the people of Jamaica to at least see that she is making a move to get serious with the nation’s business,” one senior member of Simpson Miller’s Government told the Jamaica Observer by telephone yesterday.

“Sometimes I am embarrassed to be a part of this party, because too much slackness happens. She has too big a Cabinet and management team for so many mistakes and missteps to be made,” the official said outside the private session of the conference at Jamaica College, Eastern St Andrew.

The cry for the prime minister to reshape her Cabinet and make it relevant to the needs of the island’s estimated 2.7 million inhabitants is growing louder in her party, political watchers have said, but none of the organisation’s prominent leaders have the courage to say that to her face.

“Tell Portia to reshuffle? You mad?” another in the party leadership said to the Sunday Observer. “Anyone who dares to do that would be cast aside in a jiffy. A reshuffle and a trimming of the Cabinet are things that are badly needed, but tell Portia that nuh and see how long you stay in the leadership,” the PNP bigwig said.

But some of the prominent people interviewed by the Sunday Observer believe that a reshuffling of the Cabinet would not solve many of the ills besetting the island.

University lecturer and executive director of National Integrity Action, Professor Trevor Munroe, said that other important things need to be done.

“That is the prime minister’s decision, and no one can indicate that to her. But less important is reshuffling, compared to what is needed. What is needed is new institutions, new regulations, campaign financing reform, a single anti-corruption commission, and punishment for breaches. After those things are done, then she can reshuffle the Cabinet,” Munroe said.

Commenting on the resignation of Azan, and the citing of irregular conduct on the part of Paulwell by the contractor general, Munroe said that transparency had scored a victory.

“It re-enforces the importance of the contractor general. That is an office that is independent and that operates without fear or favour. It is appropriate that Minister Azan has resigned and that the prime minister has accepted his resignation,” Munroe said.

“However, the mechanisms for transparency and accountability in Jamaica’s governance are in need of significant strengthening.

“The procurement legislation needs to be strengthened so that there is severe punishment for breaches of procurement rules. The institutions dealing with corruption need to be rationalised as the Government has promised to set up a single anticorruption agency with powers to prosecute,” Munroe said.

Immediate past president of the St Ann Chamber of Commerce, Leopold Williams, said a reshuffling of the Cabinet may not be the way to deal with issues arising from the recent reports tabled by the Office of the Contractor General.

“A reshuffling could mean more or less the same thing,” Williams said.

“What is happening in Jamaica is that the wrong people are getting into politics,” he added.

According to Williams, the findings and conclusions of the contractor general’s recent reports suggest that the Government is sending the wrong message to investors.

“I think the Government is sending the wrong signal to locals who want to invest,” he said.

He said that encouraging persons to invest is the way to help reduce many of the nation’s ills, such as crime and violence.

Williams said that through investments, more young people will be employed and would therefore be less likely to become criminals.

“We are shooting ourselves in our foot,” Williams said.

Retired custos of St Mary, AA ‘Bobby’ Pottinger, also believes that a reshuffling of the Cabinet is not the answer.

According to Pottinger, the prime minister needs to strengthen her Cabinet by utilising the personnel she has at her disposal.

“This is crisis time. They need to be utilised, especially in areas of production,” he said.

President of the National Workers’ Union and PNP candidate in the December 2011 general election, Vincent Morrison, as well as former vice-president of the union, Danny Roberts, also played down any suggestion of a Cabinet reshuffle.

“I wouldn’t want to say that it is an opportune time. I think that the reshuffling of the Cabinet is the prime minister’s call and there is nobody in the country who is in a better position than her make that judgement call,” said Morrison.

“She chairs the Cabinet, she knows what is happening, not only on a dayto-day basis but also on a month-tomonth basis. She has total overview of what is happening,” he added.

“Remember, the Cabinet is a team. People are given specific tasks, and if people are performing, then I don’t see the need to reshuffle. You just don’t reshuffle the Cabinet for reshuffling sake. You have to do so based on some empirical evidence as to why you would want to reshuffle.”

Roberts agrees.

“I don’t think those are sufficient convictions to reshuffle a Cabinet. I don’t think there are sufficient reasons. The reshuffling of a Cabinet has more to do with strategic reasons rather than simply matters relating to the current situation with Minister Paulwell and former minister Azan.

“Those issues regarding them have to be dealt with, but I don’t think they are sufficient for a call to reshuffle the Cabinet,” Roberts stated.

“I am a man for due process. I like things to take their course; that is the basis on which jurisprudence is grounded. I am not quick to act, and in the final analysis I would want to see clear and concrete proof beyond doubt. I don’t think anybody should be excluded from that,” Roberts said.

“That is important for me. I like due process, and after due process has taken place, then justice must be served. But I am not one who is quick to act,” Roberts added.

Morrison, in giving what he called a “personal reflection” on the current issues, said that sympathy ought to be shown to the Government at this time.

“I think that we are living in tough times. The present Government inherited some very tough and serious considerations and I am impressed with the way in which they have been trying to unravel some of these issues,” he said.

“They have been quite humble in their approach. They have not gone out there to lambast or criticise or blame anybody. They have been trying to sidestep that. I think what the nation needs at this time is a bit of patience,” Morrison said.