THE Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) is keeping pressure on Prime Minister Andrew Holness to outline plans for the operations and direction of the science and technology ministry, which has been without a minister for the past three weeks, and has also now seen the departure of its permanent secretary.

In a statement yesterday, as reports emerged that Permanent Secretary Hillary Alexander had proceeded on retirement since last week, Opposition spokesman on science and technology Julian Robinson called on Prime Minister Holness to “address the void, disintegration and growing uncertainty at the Ministry of Science and Technology, which is increasingly functioning on automatic pilot”.

Robinson said the country has not been told about or provided with reasons for Alexander’s sudden departure, which comes shortly after the resignation of the minister under whom she worked, Dr Andrew Wheatley.

Wheatley walked away as controversy and scandals surrounding Petrojam and other agencies under his portfolio at the time, deepened by the day.

In June, as the Petrojam corruption scandal escalated, Cabinet directed Alexander to submit a report on the state oil refinery’s operations in relation to numerous damning allegations in the public domain. E-mails between the permanent secretary and the former board chairman of the Spectrum Management Authority (SMA), Trevor Forrest over a controversial hiring matter at the SMA have also been in the public domain over the past weeks.

According to a source, Alexander has not gone on early retirement as was initially rumoured, but that she was due for retirement and had been granted an extension which ended last Thursday. “Ms Alexander’s departure last week now plunges the ministry into further uncertainty for both the public and staff,” Robinson said.

He charged that the prime minister had been derelict in his duty by allowing the situation to continue for a protracted period in a ministry which has portfolio responsibility for critical national services, including telecommunications and data services provision. Robinson said critical agencies, including the Spectrum Management Authority, which is a regulatory body, are also functioning without fully constituted boards of directors, chairmen or management heads.

He called on the prime minister to immediately update the country on the arrangements for the ministry to effectively function, as, under the Public Bodies Management and Accountability Act and the Financial Administration and Accountability Act, the permanent secretary has responsibility for public funds.

At his quarterly press briefing at Jamaica House last week, Holness gave the undertaking that, once he was finished meeting with all the boards under Wheatley’s former ministry, they would be properly empanelled and that it was during this process that he would appoint a new minister. He said many of the boards under those portfolios had expired and been extended, and must now be properly empanelled before the appointment of a minister. It is understood that the prime minister has now completed his meetings with the relevant boards.

Robinson is insisting, however, that in light of the recent breakdown of administrative functions in the ministry and some of its agencies, Holness should act now.

The energy, science and technology portfolios now all fall under oversight of the Office of the Prime Minister. Holness has also indicated that he would hang onto the energy portfolio until the Petrojam review is completed, as well as the Wigton Windfarm divestment.

— Alphea Saunders