Outgoing Minister of Finance and the Public Service Dr Nigel Clarke must deep down be breathing a sigh of relief that he will no longer have to sit in that hallowed chamber called the House of Parliament, which is fast becoming a circus.

The recent cass-cass surrounding the dos and don’ts of the Integrity Commission (IC), especially with reference to its audited reports, has brought into stark focus that our well-paid parliamentarians are not giving this nation’s taxpayers value for money.

As has been reported in the island’s various media outlets, within the last six years the audited financial statements of the IC have been submitted and tabled in Parliament as part of its annual report. Yet one senior parliamentarian, known for his contentious and abrasive approach in any discourse relating to government business, declared that he had never seen an audit report for the IC in Parliament, yet the agency was spending taxpayers’ money. He went on to threaten that “there is no way we are going to approve another $2 billion for a department that has not been audited for years.”

In this vein, the IC has expressed concern that there are parliamentarians who continue to exhibit a clear lack of knowledge, or understanding, of the very laws that they are elected to write. From all indications, most Members of Parliament (MP) seem not to be paying sufficient attention to their roles in that honourable House. Indeed, this begs the question as it relates to the highly touted promise by Prime Minister Andrew Holness to provide job descriptions for parliamentarians. The bottom line is that some MPs don’t read. And to think that they have all been given a whopping raise!

To put it bluntly, it would appear that too many of our MPs are simply warming their seats in Parliament (no pun intended). And the irony of this sorry situation gets worse, with the Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte now expressing the view that the Act relating to the establishment of the Integrity Commission needs to be revisited as it would appear that it has many flaws?

In the meantime, the prime minister, in a huff, has taken the IC to court seeking a judicial review with respect to how that august body has been handling the matter relating to his statutory declarations (which is his right). But what a conundrum this whole affair has become in real terms as our lawmakers make laws then turn around and criticise them, ridicule them, and want them to be thrown out because they do not suit their purpose at any given time.

In the meantime, if certain parliamentarians should have their way, the IC could be thrown out of Gordon House like the proverbial baby with the bathwater. Already, one MP has called for the resignation of the IC chairman, Justice Seymour Panton, and supporters of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) have been riled up to denigrate, threaten, despise, and tar and feather the members of the commission, thus, in my opinion, putting their very lives in danger, especially now that the country is in election mode and partisan vitriol is likely to be at an all-time high.

Let’s face it, the members of the IC are Jamaicans who are known for the most part to be people of the highest integrity and are not known to be in any way associated with either the ruling JLP or the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP).

Yes, some mistakes as well as missteps have been made, and recent remarks by Chairman Panton, which Senate President Tom Tavares-Finson has described as rude and disrespectful, may well have been intemperate, but, in the very final analysis, does this justify a declaration of war against that anti-corruption body? Aren’t we setting about to shoot ourselves in the foot?

Of course, all of this playing out on the national stage will have caused many well-thinking Jamaicans to come to the conclusion that our Parliament is indeed becoming a pappyshow. Already, in this regard, many Jamaicans have expressed grave concern about the conduct of parliamentarians while conducting the people’s business.

The crass, crude, and oftentimes puerile behaviour of our elected representatives has left a bitter taste in the mouths of many Jamaicans who have very little respect for the men and women who are supposed to be our esteemed lawmakers, of the highest integrity, and whose patriotism should stand up to the greatest scrutiny at all times.

The sad truth is that our politicians, for the most part, are not highly regarded by the populace and are perceived to be corrupt, self-serving, and rabidly partisan. This matter relating to the Integrity Commission, if not properly handled, will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of all well-thinking Jamaicans who do not see the nation’s business through green or orange lenses. And what is even more disconcerting is that the country is supposed to be undergoing constitutional reform as we contemplate embracing republican status.

Against such a backdrop, such burning issues relating to transparency and accountability, inclusive of impeachment, recall, and ensuring that parliamentarians are fully equipped to carry out their tasks as elected representatives and not just partisan hacks, should take centre stage. But how can this happen in an environment that is fraught with narrow partisan objectives, especially in the current climate of “silly season” when the retention of power by the JLP and quest for power by the PNP takes precedence over everything else?

Can Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Mark Golding put on the armour of patriotism and shun partisanship in a bid to save this good ship Jamaica from foundering on the rocks of divisiveness and rabid self-interest?

Lloyd B Smith has been involved full-time in Jamaican media for the past 49 years. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.