KINGSTON, Jamaica — Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman Julian Robinson found himself on the receiving end of the wrath of Member of Parliament for East Rural St Andrew Juliet Holness this morning over media reports on an issue, which is now before the committee.

Holness blasted the Chairman, telling him she was “pi**ed”, and warned against going “behind the backs” of committee members.

She said the chairman had lied in giving the impression that the Government members were not interested in having internal auditors of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security appear before the committee to answer questions pertaining to the Auditor General’s annual report, which flagged concerns pertaining to the internal audit system in the ministry.

“I was flabbergasted when I got out of PAC and realised that the media called you and you rudely indicated that we have an objection to inciting the internal auditors. I was shocked and I was very disappointed because it means that I can’t trust you as chairman,” Holness said.

The MP accused Robinson of telling the media that the members, by virtue of their non-response, had sought to block the internal auditors from appearing before the committee.

“When the question was asked (about inviting the auditors) — without any of us knowing you had consorted with the media to say that the fact that we did not respond means that we have an objection — to think the moment it came, we all raised our hands. I was shocked that behind our back as the chairman you would take us not responding to an email that we are in objection. You need to stop it chairman because very often a message is sent to the media that goes to the public that betrays the circumstances and then we are forced to live with it. If you do it again we are going to insist that only at the meeting we make our decisions. Nothing prevents you from calling your fellow members of the committee, yet none of us received a call, but you had time to go to the media…so when I saw it Mr Chairman I was pi**ed!” Holness snapped.

Robinson rejected the remarks, insisting, “I take strong offence…an email was sent out two people responded in time, I brought the matter to the committee and the committee approved. I don’t control what the media reports and I take offence to any suggestion that I tell the media what to report”.

Last week’s meeting of the PAC was postponed after the members present agreed that based on the substantive nature of the submission from the ministry, it was best to put off the session to allow time to digest the contents, as well as to have the internal auditors appear.

Alphea Saunders