KINGSTON, Jamaica— The Jamaica Council of Churches (JCC), through its president, Bishop Christine Gooden-Benguche, has welcomed the tabling of the Auditor General’s (AG) reports in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 26.

The reports were tabled nearly two months after they were first sent to the Parliament in late January, based on a controversial ruling by House Speaker, Juliet Holness. Her ruling, and her refusal to share an opinion from the Attorney General which she said guided her decision about how reports from the Auditor General’s Department and the Integrity Commission should be tabled, led to walkout of the House by government members on March 19. This was after Opposition Leader Mark Golding criticised the independence of the speaker who is the wife of Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

The JCC in a statement, said the belated tabling of the AG’s reports “has come at a time when there have been heightened concerns and expressions regarding the need for public access to, and examination of the reports from the oversight institutions in our nation”.

The influential umbrella church group said it was deeply concerned with the direction in which the proceedings of the Parliament have transpired and how matters of a delicate nature have been handled.

“We note that some important constitutional and procedural questions have been raised and wonder if some of these could not be resolved by greater levels of dialogue and disclosure. In this regard, the nation awaits the benefit of the willingness of our leaders to share the legal opinion from the Attorney General regarding the tabling of reports,” said the JCC.

“Further, we look forward to outcomes in the near future that will stem the tide of mistrust of our government and its leaders, as we believe that the high levels of mistrust that exists in our society can only lead to more deviance, disorder and non-compliance,” the JCC added.

It said the nation looks forward to the promotion of the common good from the highest political authority in the land, the Parliament.

“Therefore, we beseech our parliamentarians to encourage and display the deepest sensitivity towards collaboration and collegiality. We also earnestly encourage our leaders to engender a strong appetite for dialogue and consultation even as the constitutional power of discretion is exercised. Further, we humbly encourage them to practice a model of leadership that privileges the ethic of ‘community,’ prioritises national and public interests and portrays cordiality, collegiality, and cooperation”.

The JCC drew on the words of the prophet Micah who declared: ‘He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8, NIV)’.

“We reiterate the fact that the Church is committed to praying for the political leaders of the nation (1 Tim 2:1-3); this is a Christian mandate which we will unequivocally observe and obey,” Gooden-Benguche said.