Much ado about something?
Dear Editor,
Attorney-at-law Carolyn Chuck wrote to the Jamaica Observer about the reappointment of the prime minister’s wife, Juliet Holness, as House Speaker in a letter entitled “Much ado about nothing?”
Chuck couldn’t see beyond what appears to me to be her bias. She referred to the Speaker as an “umpire of proceedings” and regulator of order and, therefore, saw nothing wrong with appointing the spouse of the prime minister amid the criticisms of conflict of interest and potential bias. I would like to ask Chuck if it would be OK for an umpire to preside over a match in which his/her son is a member playing on a team. There is no rule to prevent this, but would it be ethical?
The House Speaker (like the umpire) will, of course, regulate, but also makes decisions on points of order and privilege and he or she is expected to interpret rules impartially. The objective here is to minimise the impact of bias and eliminate conflict of interest.
If Chuck sees nothing wrong, she, in my opinion, is part of a much bigger problem, which explains why voter turnout in Jamaica is so low for elections. People are turned off by a political system, including legislators, who they perceive as turning a blind eye to certain matters when it suits them. We’ve seen several laws ‘rushed’ through Parliament and when challenged in court they were overturned and ruled unconstitutional.
When criticisms are deemed trivial they are brushed aside by those who can’t see through their biases. If the current Administration were in Opposition, I am sure it would oppose the appointment of a spouse of any Member to the position of Speaker of the House.
Jamaicans seem to be unconcerned about integrity and corruption in a culture in which hustling and beating the system is a way of life.
I challenge Chuck to name another jurisdiction where the spouse of a prime minister or any Member of the House is Speaker of the House of Parliament. No matter how they try to spin it, it is not a good look in terms of ethics and good judgement.
P Chin
chin_p@yahoo.com
