POLITICAL Ombudsman Donna Parchment Brown is calling on the nation’s Parliament to make the Political Code a legal one, noting that this is the best year to address concerns in Jamaica’s politics.

In a statement issued to the media yesterday, Parchment Brown said that the political ombudsman’s office has, since 2007, been requesting that the agreement and declaration on political conduct be legal also, instead of only an honour requirement for politicians.

The statement also proposed that where standards are breached, a set fine be imposed by the political ombudsman after an investigation.

The statement outlined, for example, that a breach of public utterances attracts a fine of $100,000 for the first offence; political tribalism by words or actions attracts a $100,000 fine for first offence; and failure to remove campaign materials over 30 days after close of polls, $10,000 per item.

“Evidence found by the political ombudsman of breach of criminal law such as improper contact with weapons and ammunition in breach of the code should be reported to the director of public prosecutions for action.

“The dismantling of garrisons is of urgent importance and will need the cooperation of our politicians as this work proceeds, building on four face-to-face and four social consultations conducted by this office.

“A continuing grey area for the political ombudsman is conduct, which appears to breach the Standing Orders in Parliament which relies on self-policing by Parliamentarians in both Houses. Conduct in this sacred space — Gordon House — often televised but sometimes sotto voce and below radar, like the abundance of hurtful negative social media posts, harms the relationship between the parties and reduces the quality and effectiveness of parliamentary debate and possibly decisions,” the statement from the political ombudsman said.

She urged relatives, supporters and friends of elected officials to help them live up to the standards to which they have committed under the laws and principles of Jamaica, good governance and the rule of law.

Yesterday, Chairman of the People’s National Party Fitz Jackson told the Jamaica Observer that the party has, in the past, publicly stated that it wants provisions of the code of conduct to be in law.

“Exactly what those provisions will be, in terms of levels of fines and the particular breaches and so forth, we are in support of. We will have to give consideration to those levels of fines that she would want to propose and to arrive at some reasonable balance.

“As a party, we would want to have certain levels of consultation internally and externally in putting forth specific recommendations like those. But the point is yes, it is one of the things we have put on the table, formally, with the Government,” Jackson said.

Calls to Jamaica Labour Party Chairman Robert Montague and General Secretary Horace Chang went unanswered yesterday.

— Kimone Francis