WHATEVER happens today in cabinet, the members of the National Housing Trust’s (NHT) board are not planning on resigning voluntarily over the fallout from the Outameni purchase, despite its membership falling below the lower limit of nine members under the provisions of the NHT Act.

Asked whether that was the objective of a press briefing, which the board has called for its New Kingston car park complex this morning at 11:00 am, a board member said it was the first he was hearing that issue raised.

“I don’t know about that. We had no discussions about the remaining members of the board resigning. That is news to me,” the source said.

The Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in a release issued yesterday by its spokesman on Infrastructure Development, Dr Horace Chang, said if the Prime Minister does not act against the board, and in particular its Chairman, Easton Douglas, it would be another reason to question her leadership.

The NHT source told the Jamaica Observer that, as far as he knew, the board scheduled the briefing to clear up the issues raised in the media reports about the Trust’s $180 million purchase of the property.

“We had wanted for some time to meet with the press, but there was an initial decision against members of the board speaking publicly about it. But, following the resignations we decided to go ahead,” he said.

However, the decision of the board to finally call a press briefing this morning to discuss the increasing number of issues arising from the sale, must have come as a big surprise.

It precedes a cabinet meeting at Jamaica House, which will inform Prime Minister Portia Simpson’s decision on the board’s future. Her public announcement is expected to follow the cabinet discussions.

Incidentally, both the announcement of the NHT board’s press briefing and the public disclosure by the Prime Minister, were issued by the Director of Communications and Public Affairs in the Office of the Prime Minister, Huntley Medley.

The board’s release said that the briefing is to discuss the facts concerning the purchase of the property.

Meanwhile, the release from the Prime Minister said that, “following the weekly meeting of the Cabinet on Monday, November 24, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller will make an announcement related to the composition and future of the Board of Directors of the National Housing Trust”.

It added that:

“Prime Minister Simpson Miller acknowledges that the current public debate surrounding a recent property acquisition by the NHT Board, has resulted in the resignation of some board members with implication for the continuation of the work of the Board in giving oversight to the NHT in the performance of its functions.

“The Prime Minister notes that the Government will continue to ensure that the NHT fulfils its mandate of increasing and improving the existing supply of housing, promoting housing projects, creating affordable housing solutions for low income contributors, providing housing related benefits for contributors, facilitating social services and physical infrastructure for communities developed under NHT projects, as well as, prudently administering and investing the monies of the Trust”.

The second schedule of the NHT Act states that:

“The Board shall consist of such number of persons, not being less than nine nor more than seventeen, as the Minister may from time to time appoint from persons appearing to the Minister to represent workers organizations, employers and the Government, respectively”.

This leaves Simpson Miller with the option of appointing either one more, or a full slate of additional board members to fill the slots left by the seven members who have resigned since April this year.

In its press release yesterday, the JLP accused the PM of not showing NHT contributors that she has their interest at heart.

“She must do better by removing the remaining members of the board, and insisting on an immediate independent investigation of the Outameni affair,” Dr Chang said.

“If the Prime Minister does not act against this irresponsible board, and in particular against its chairman, it will be one more reason for us to question her leadership,” Chang added.

He also stated that “if she continues to ignore the clear and distinct public outcry”, Jamaicans could only treat her response as “a show of contempt for contributors and, in fact, all well thinking Jamaicans”.

He added that the NHT’s activities transcend politics, as it is working Jamaicans who contribute to the Trust and, by all the conflicting accounts, the current board is proving that the interest of the People’s National Party PNP government is more focused on bailing out its connected parties than protecting the interests of the contributors.

“It would be shameful if she retains the party loyalists on the board, rather than appoint a new slate of competent and independent minded directors,” he said.