KINGSTON, Jamaica — The controversial National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) Bill was passed in the Senate at 8:14 pm Friday after a sitting that lasted approximately 10 hours.

The Bill, which was piloted by the Minister of Education and Information, Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon now awaits the governor general’s signature before it is gazetted as the law of the land.

NaRRA is the body set up by the Government to lead reconstruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa which has left an estimated US$12.2 billion in damage mainly across southwestern parishes. It will manage nearly J$1 trillion of funds and is tasked with implementing certain legacy and strategic projects.

The parliamentary Opposition, civil society and church groups have raised concerns over what they perceive to be a lack of oversight and accountability in the Bill. However, while it was passed in the House in a marathon 12-hour sitting that ended near 2:00 am on April 29 with 22 amendments, all amendments proposed by Opposition senators on Friday were rejected.

Opposition Senator Lambert Brown suggested during committee stage that aspects of the legislation could perhaps be challenged in the court as he proposed amendments but they were rejected.

Earlier, Senator Cleveland Tomlinson was forced to withdraw after he referred to Government senators as being “arrogant” when he made his contribution to the debate.

Senator Sherine Golding-Campbell objected to what she deemed to be “unparliamentary language” based on the standing orders, and commented that it was not her business to “teach him manners”.

Tomlinson drew attention to what he called the “trust deficit” when he flagged what he said was the lack of proper oversight and accountability in the Bill.

“The deficiencies in this Bill should be taken in the context of the level of the trust the Government is asking of the people.

“When a Government asks its citizens to accept a statutory body with vast powers, a single unaccountable executive, no governing board, no audit committee, no mandatory parliamentary oversight of its directions and decisions, when it asks for that level of trust, the threshold question is: has this Government demonstrated, through its conduct in office, the kind of probity and respect for institutional boundaries and constitutional norms that would justify giving any administration this kind of unrestrained executive authority over billions of public dollars?” questioned Tomlinson.

However, Government Senator Abka Fitz-Henley pushed back firmly against talk that the NaRRA Bill lacks oversight and accountability.

Fitz-Henley acknowledged the argument being proffered that there are not enough mechanisms for accountability available to govern NaRRA.

“I reject this argument as unfounded,” he stated.

Fitz-Henley outlined that NaRRA’s accountability mechanisms include but are not limited to:

— Being subject to the jurisdiction of the Auditor General, which will be able to, at any time, conduct an assessment of its activities;

— NaRRA’s activities, including expenditure, are subject to oversight of committees including the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament and the Public Appropriations and Administration Committee;

— NaRRA is mandated to keep proper accounts in keeping with the standards of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica and is to submit annual financial accounts to the minister who is duty-bound to cause the annual financials to be tabled in Parliament;

— NaRRA is subject to a yearly internal audit to be conducted by a certified auditor who is to be a registered public accountant further to Section 2 of the Public Accountancy Act;

— The entity is mandated to submit to the minister a corporate plan with estimates of revenue and expenditure;

— NaRRA is duty bound to keep a register of initiatives with pertinent details. The register is to be gazetted and open for assessment by any member of the public; and

— The Government has also established the Jamaica Reconstruction and Resilience Oversight Committee (JAMRROC) which is an independent body that will give oversight to NaRRA.

— Lynford Simpson