AFTER being scolded by the Government on Tuesday for “not being able to take a clear and principled stance” and sticking to it, the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has moved to clear the air on why it has refused to be part of a joint select committee (JSC) of Parliament overseeing hurricane recovery, relief, and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives Floyd Green made the accusation against the Opposition as he spoke on the motion for adjournment during Tuesday’s sitting of the House of Representatives. Clearly peeved, Green reported that the PNP had indicated that it was no longer interested in being part of the JSC that Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness had announced would be established to play the oversight role to ensure transparency and accountability.

He shared that he was written to on November 7 by Leader of Opposition Business in the House, Phillip Paulwell, who told him that, “On reflection on this matter, the Opposition believes that such a committee would not be necessary and appropriate at this time as it would be duplicating and usurping the role and function of the Parliament’s Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC)”.

Paulwell reminded that the main functions of the PAAC includes the examination of budgetary expenditure of government agencies and other public bodies to ensure that expenditure is done in accordance with parliamentary approval; monitoring expenditure as it occurs and keeping the Parliament informed of how the budget is being implemented; and inquiring into the administration of the government to determine hindrances to the efficiency and to make recommendations to the Government for the improvement of public administration.

“We would also wish to state that a joint select committee involving members of the Senate in such an exercise would be unprecedented,” he said.

“Considering the above, we strongly urge the Government to allow the existing arrangements for oversight in all aspects of the work related to Hurricane Melissa recovery be maintained,” Paulwell continued.

In his response on behalf of the Government, also on November 7, Green expressed “deep concern and disappointment at the Opposition’s sudden change in position”.

“This reversal is particularly surprising given that during your [PNP] press conference on November 3, the leader of the Opposition [Mark Golding] explicitly called for additional oversight of the process,” said Green.

“It has always been our position that Parliament already provides adequate and robust oversight through established committees such as the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee and the Infrastructure and Physical Development Committee — both of which are mandated to ensure transparency and accountability,” he added.

But he explained that the prime minister’s decision to establish a JSC “was aimed at fostering national consensus and unity, and in direct response to the Opposition’s public call for greater oversight”.

“The precedence for this approach was established during the COVID-19 pandemic when a similar oversight committee was appointed to consider the…pandemic and related matters. It is, therefore, both perplexing and troubling that the Opposition now appears to be retreating from its own stated position.”

Green then upbraided the PNP, declaring that, “Such inconsistency not only undermines constructive engagement but also shows that the Opposition is not able to take a clear and principled stance on these matters.”

He then told the House, as he continued to read from his own letter, that, “We will proceed in accordance with the existing parliamentary orders, we will make the existing standards and structures of the parliamentary system work.”

There was no debate on the matter since it was raised on the motion for adjournment. However, Paulwell issued a statement mid-afternoon on Wednesday clarifying the PNP’s position.

After declaring Green’s statement in the House to be “misleading”, Paulwell said, “The PNP remains fully committed to transparency, good governance, and the equitable distribution of relief. Our representatives across the island continue to work alongside community groups, churches, and NGOs [non-governmental organisations] to bring support to affected Jamaicans. However, we will not lend legitimacy to any mechanism that blurs the constitutional separation of roles or that appears designed to centralise control rather than to foster the unity and cooperation Jamaica needs at this critical time.”

Paulwell insisted that the PNP has been consistent and unequivocal in its recommendations to the Government since the passage of Hurricane Melissa. He noted that Golding wrote to the prime minister on October 29 calling for the establishment of a broad-based national task force comprising representatives of the Government, Opposition, private sector, and civil society to ensure transparency, accountability, and unity in the management and distribution of local and overseas relief resources.

“This was again stated by Mr Golding at a press conference held by the Opposition on November 3, 2025,” he said.

According to Paulwell, “The proposal for a unified task force was never intended to be a parliamentary committee as such a body would be constrained by the procedural and scheduling limitations inherent to Parliament. The Opposition’s call was for a national mechanism, grounded in inclusivity and public confidence, not one confined to partisan or parliamentary boundaries.”

Paulwell, who is also the long-standing Member of Parliament for East Kingston and Port Royal, emphasised that, “At no point did the Opposition suggest or support the creation of a joint select committee of Parliament involving both Houses. We maintain that parliamentary oversight of expenditure and related matters properly resides with the PAAC, which is chaired by a member of the Opposition.”

Paulwell also attached what he described as a “series of written communication between himself and Green, as well as correspondence from Golding to Holness “to ensure that the public has a complete and accurate understanding of the Opposition’s correspondence and consistent stance on this matter”.

GREEN… the Opposition is not able to take a clear and principled stance on these matters.