OPPOSITION spokesman on productivity, efficiency and competitiveness Peter Bunting has charged that the Government’s treatment of independent oversight institutions in recent times could have implications for investor confidence.

Bunting, who is the Member of Parliament for Manchester Southern, gave the warning in the House of Representatives on Wednesday during his contribution to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate.

He pointed to recent controversies surrounding the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), the ruling against the Government in the Dry Harbour Mountains case, and the decision by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness to take the Integrity Commission (IC) to court as examples of the Government’s challenge to oversight bodies.

“Investors do not simply evaluate tax rates or labour costs. They assess whether contracts are enforceable, regulations are predictable, and institutions operate independently. When a sitting prime minister takes his own State oversight body to court, when constitutional courts void executive decisions, when parliamentary oversight is obstructed systematically, investors draw their own conclusions,” said Bunting.

He further charged that Parliament’s oversight of the executive is being systematically undermined.

“Presiding officers have abandoned any pretence of impartiality and the three-month delay in tabling the IC investigative report on the FLA (Firearms Licensing Authority) is the most recent example,” charged Bunting.

He also raised concern over what he claimed is a conflict of interest with Cabinet members sitting on parliamentary oversight committees asked to examine auditor general’s reports that cover periods when they were at the helm of the entities under scrutiny.

“Government members on the PAC (Public Accounts Committee) and PAAC (Public Administration and Appropriations Committee) appear to do everything to obstruct the work of the committees,” alleged Bunting as he pointed to an incident he said took place on Tuesday.

“A sheet was circulated to members attempting to determine if PAAC members had received the emailed copy of its annual report. Every Opposition member confirmed receipt of the email while every Government member denied receiving it,” said Bunting.

Noting that independent media also plays a critical oversight role in democracies, Bunting described Jamaica’s remaining independent media houses and investigative journalists as “barely surviving… in the Intensive Care Unit”.

“There is an acute viability crisis for legacy print and broadcast organisations worldwide, and Jamaica is no different. Many close or merge, while others survive only as propaganda outlets for wealthy oligarchs or authoritarian leaning governments,” added Bunting.

The Opposition spokesman argued that there is a link between diminishing oversight to shrinking investment in Jamaica’s economy.

“Given what is happening with our oversight institutions it should not be surprising that net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows as a per cent of GDP (gross domestic product) have declined to around 1.5 to two per cent of GDP since 2020,” he said.

According to Bunting, this was less than one-third of what Jamaica received as recently as 2015 and 2016, when net FDI exceeded six per cent of GDP.

“Investors value certainty, entrepreneurs value predictability, businesses make long-term commitments when they believe that rules will be applied consistently and institutions will operate independently,” Bunting argued.

“Strong institutions encourage investment because they reduce uncertainty. Weak institutions discourage investment because individuals and businesses must devote additional resources to navigating risk and unpredictability. Productivity therefore depends not only on economic policy but also on governance quality,” Bunting added.