OPPOSITION People’s National Party (PNP) spokesman on finance Julian Robinson is predicting that the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) will be forced to call general elections this year — instead of 2025 when it is constitutionally due — to deal with the backlash he says will follow the revelation of the identities of the eight parliamentarians who are under probe for illicit enrichment.

In urging party faithful to be prepared to go to the polls Robinson, who was the guest speaker at the PNP Women’s Conference at St Hilda’s High School in St Ann on the weekend, predicted that the unveiling of those individuals will begin when Parliament resumes in September, after its summer break.

“In two weeks’ time, on September 4th, the Jamaica Labour Party will start its fifth year in Government. In my own analysis we will have an election this year. I will explain why I believe so. There are eight Labourites under investigation for illicit enrichment, ooonuh know what that mean? We have never in the history of this country, or in any democracy anywhere in the world, you could have a prime minister going three years and him integrity report cyaa clear. Never! Parliament deh pon a break now; wi a go back inna September. Mi expect one or two a dem report deh fi come, and when dem come, bangarang a go come to so we need to be ready,” Robinson told an appreciative crowd.

According to Robinson, this kind of blot is the primary reason the leadership of the country needs to be wrested from the JLP.

“I am going to tell you why it is important for the People’s National Party to win. First, we have to restore Jamaica to have a government of integrity. You know our leader, Comrade Mark Golding, nuh come ya fi look nutten. He is here to serve and he has made it clear that all of those who work and serve with him must uphold certain standards. Yuh cyaan have party weh eight man and woman under investigation… and yuh prime minister cyaa clear him integrity report. If fi him own cyaa clear, him can talk to nobody else inna him party bout weh dem a do? So, you have to restore Jamaica to a government of integrity,” Robinson argued.

“The second reason is, we must transform this economy to one where every Jamaican can participate — and not an economy where only a few at the top benefit and you hope it will trickle down to the bottom, because it never does. So we are committed to building an economy where everybody can participate, and we have to do that by transforming our education system. Is not no quick fix but we understand the task, we understand the challenge, and we are committed,” he said.

The investigations referred to by Robinson surround indications by the Integrity Commission (IC) in its 2022-2023 annual report and subsequent 2023-2024 annual report tabled in Parliament, with the initial report fingering six parliamentarians and the latter two.

The country has been on edge since the commission made mention of the first six, dubbed the illicit six, along with 28 public servants, in its 2022/23 annual report.

At the time, both Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Mark Golding declared that they were unaware of any member of their respective parties, either in the House or Senate, being among the six.

Golding went further, indicating that each member of the PNP in the House and Senate had indicated to the party that they had not been contacted by the IC in relation to an illicit enrichment probe. The PNP has 14 of the 63 Members of Parliament and eight of the 21 senators.

In the meantime, Golding has argued that the prime minister should be disqualified from his post due to his uncertified annual declaration.

“The prime minister himself, his annual declarations cannot be certified and published in summary form by the Integrity Commission — three years,” Golding declared in May this year.

Under law, Holness and Golding are the only public officials whose certified declarations are made public in summary form.

Last November, Holness, in addressing the issue, said he was in the process of responding to a second set of questions from the Integrity Commission. In its 2023/24 annual report the commission said it is close to wrapping up the processes surrounding the PM’s declarations.

In 2019 an officially gazetted summary of the statutory declaration of Holness and his family showed total Jamaican-dollar assets of just over $161 million and some US$28,272.11, for a total asset value of $164,929,430.19. That declaration showed that they shared liabilities of $1,949,102.34 and other accounts payables of $20,269,080.27. No US-dollar liabilities were noted. The declaration for the period January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018 showed earnings of $15,567,477.41 in local currency and an additional US$8,125.

At that time the commission had said while the Holness family had been very cooperative in response to its requests, the prime minister was late in making the submission — an admission that had been made by Holness.

Statutory declarations are required to be filed by March 31 following the year being reported.

The PNP had threatened to take the matter to court if the release of the declaration had been delayed much longer.

Parliamentarians or public officials found guilty of illicit enrichment are in breach of Section 14 (5) (a) of the Corruption Prevention Act. According to the provision, illicit enrichment happens when a public servant owns assets disproportionate to his lawful earnings; and upon being requested by the commission or any person duly authorised to investigate an allegation of corruption against him, to provide an explanation as to how he came by such assets, he fails to do so or gives an explanation which is not considered to be satisfactory. In such a scenario an individual shall be liable to prosecution for the offence of illicit enrichment.

The last general election was held in Jamaica on Thursday, September 3, 2020 during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. The JLP secured 49 seats while the PNP won the remaining 14 seats.