Julian Johnson, Chairman of the Former Integrity in Public Office Commission (IPO) of Dominica (September 2008 – December 2015) has commended Dr. Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia for the voluntary public declaration of his income, assets and liabilities and that of his wife which was made when he took up office last year.
Johnson was at the time speaking on the subject “Anti-Corruption efforts in the Commonwealth Caribbean” to the 6th Annual General Meeting and Conference for the Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa, held at the Strand Hotel, Swakopmund in Namibia from the 31 May to 4 June 2016.
The President of Namibia in his address to the Conference stated that his voluntary public disclosure of assets was made because he believed “that transparency starts at the top. We are deeply convinced that accountability and transparency are important for shared, inclusive and sustained economic development, which in turn is required for poverty eradication… the declarations of income and assets will be assessed for potential conflict of interest ”
Anti-Corruption Laws Preserve Dignity
In endorsing the action and the reasons for the decision of the President of Namibia, Johnson stated that this approach finds support in Commonwealth Caribbean common-law learning which opines that the purpose of anti-corruption legislation is to preserve the dignity and integrity of public officials, including Heads of States and to ensure honesty and impartiality in the exercise of their functions.
Johnson also emphasized the advice of the President of Namibia to anti-corruption bodies that they must continue to aggressively and fearlessly pursue their statutory duties and build reputable agencies. The President said ; “A well-liked popular anti-corruption agency would make me unhappy as the very nature of your mandate should automatically disqualify you from winning any popularity contest.”
In his presentation to the Conference, Johnson reported on activities undertaken by anti-corruption bodies in the Commonwealth Caribbean and the challenges that confront them. He gave details of the two meetings of the Commonwealth Caribbean Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies held in Grenada in June 2015 and in Trinidad & Tobago in February 2016. He referred to the education and the enlistment of public support programme successfully conducted by the Integrity Commission of Trinidad & Tobago including the session held with the students of the UWI Department of Political Science, the” DO RIGHT CHAMPIONS COMPETITION” for primary and secondary schools and tertiary debate competition on “Integrity Matters.”
Contractor-General v DPP of Jamaica
In addressing the challenges facing integrity commissions in performing their statutory duties, he referred to the situation in Jamaica (2010-2013) and Dominica (2014-2015) where there was inordinate delay by the Executive in tabling in Parliament the annual reports of these oversight bodies. He also mentioned the dormant Commissions, their operational independence and internal faultliness.
In the context of the “rule of law and the exercise of power” Johnson referred to the decision of the Contractor General of Jamaica to institute judicial review proceedings against the Director of Public Prosecutions of Jamaica when the DPP declined to act on the Special Report of his office arising from investigations of nepotism, conflict of interest and impropriety in the award of government contracts by a parish council to persons affiliated with the Mayor pursuant to sections 15 & 16 to the Contractor-General Act.
The Contractor-General discontinued the application to the Supreme Court at the end of 2015 when the DPP acknowledged her misinterpretation of the law and subsequently instituted criminal proceedings against the Mayor of the parish council. In a media release the office of the Contractor-General stated: ” that as an important Anti-corruption agency it has a duty to the public and Jamaica’s local and international partners and stakeholders to carry out its statutory obligations with a view to ensuring that contracts are awarded impartially and on merit and in circumstances that do not involve impropriety or irregularities”.
Integrity Commission v Attorney General of Dominica
Johnson also referred to the grounds of appeal filed by the Former Integrity Commission of Dominica in October 2015 in the case of Integrity Commission v Attorney General of Dominica seeking the true construction of sections 16(2) and 22 of the Integrity in Public Office Act 2003 and concerning the obligation of a person in public life (a former Minister of Government who was elected President) to comply with the Act of 2003 and on the Commission’s statutory obligation to publish that fact in the Official Gazette and section 27 of the Constitution which affords a sitting President immunity from “criminal proceedings”.
In its Sixth Annual Report to Parliament on this matter, the Integrity Commission stated: “A fundamental principle of constitutional democracy enshrined in the preamble to the Constitution of Dominica is the Rule of Law which subjects all persons and authorities to the Laws of Dominica and excludes the idea of any exemption of officials or others from the duty of obedience to the laws of Dominica. While the courts have been astute to preserve the immunity afforded a Head of State they have never conceded that such an officer is privileged to act in a way that the Law does not authorize”.
The Integrity in Public Office (Amendment )Act 2015 enacted in December 2015 dissolved the Former Integrity Commission and replaced it with a Commission of three persons and exempted the President from filling a declaration of financial disclosure with the Commission under the Act of 2003.
The Conference was hosted by the Integrity Commission of Namibia and the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Mr Johnson gave facts and not opinions in his delivery in Namibia. The fact that the organisers of this conference CHOSE him, when he is no longer chairman of the present Commission, speaks volumes for his capacity and capability.
The political bloggers should research the data in all of the Integrity Commission’s reports and also consider the actions that the previous Commission had taken to preserve its independence.
The Commission operated within the law and even made recommendations for its future viability and INDEPENDENCE. When it moved to establish its INDEPENDENCE by taking certain actions, it was vilified by outsiders who thought such actions to be inimical to the interests and powers of the powers that be.
Research the facts contained in the Six Annual Reports and data contained in the Judicial Review Cases.
Well done Johnson!!!Who else could they have sent? The only person who they could have approached is Mr Lazare . no one else. And all you haters out there go forth and do likewise . He did what he had to with the power he had.when he decided to bring down the whole lot . they dissolved the Ipo and put in a living dead chairman. He looks and walks like.a zumbie.That’s if he knows what his portfolio is . except to to as Skerrit says. So all of you who are quick to cretisize Johnson . Don’t until you have walked a mile in his shoesAnd did you who are so quick to pass judgement ever took time to read his reports year after year when he kept asking your so called government to adjust and change certain things which limited their power. Educated yourselves before speaking like uneducated fools. Why didn’t Lenox and his cabal asked for the IPO report to be tabled in the house of assemble instead of walking out like fools.? So educated yourselves before speaking like baffons
Is this the Mr. Johnson Julien I know? I always know you to be very highly educated and can speak. Yet , you have been so very quiet in Dominica. On your return sir, start talking about the corruption in our lovly Dominica. You can make a difference.
The affluent, the educated, the illuminated, the professional, the community leader, are all afraid to enter the political arena and bring needed change to our society and economy. Politics is then left to the pardner-on-the-block, the loud-mouth-community-politician, the failures of society. They become our leaders. Guys who never had to balance a cheque book or who never sold a teetoo mango, now have to lead multi-million-dollar ministries. What do you expect? I sometimes come down on Skerrit but, at other times, I look at our people and just shake my head. When we shy away from taking up leadership positions in the future of our country, we should not always blame the Skerrits.
I cannot agree more with your comment. Before my dad passed away he and i had a simmilar conversation. Our community leaders are weak. Imagine a known drug dealer who is currently serving years in a french prison put his name up to be on village council. In the absence of honest, strong, wise, and principled leadership, criminal enterprises rule and once these corrupt elements become part of our society it is 10× difficult to irradicate. 16 years is more than enough time to brainwash and pollute a generation. The seeds of ignorance, dependency, deception, lies, fear, propaganda, and manipulation have long germinated and sprouting branches.
DNO, can you all find out how and why was this man selected to give a speech in Nambia on the topic? I mean, how did he emerge as “THE ONE”out of potentially many others to give a speech right in Namibia?
What noble deed or work extraordinaire has this man done for Dominica when he was Chairman of the IPO that would make him so highly sought after to give a speech in Namibia on integrity in public office?
Mr. Johnson, why are speaking out now? You sat on the IPO for years, did nothing, said even less, while Dominica was raped and plundered…now you are yap yapping. Much too late Sir, Much too late.
Nice to say it out of Dominica, thought he would have made a difference when he could.
Mr. Johnson, the only way you can redeem yourself is if upon your return to Dominica and condemn, in no uncertain terms, the current injustice that has taking place in our country as regards the IPO. The IPO Act was amended and the IPO made impotent in order to put you and others on the commission in your place. Have you ever uttered a single word against that?
BAD THINGS WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN IN DOMINICA WHEN PEOPLE LIKE YOU WHO KNOW BETTER REMAIN SILENT.
Well, this is not ever going to happen in Dominica. The word transparency is foreign and even taboo to this one man Government and his subordinates.
You need to speak out against the ills of this corrupt rogue government in Dominica, when you get back home! We the people want to hear your voice against this boy that the adult mature men of our island allow to destroy by remaining silent! Come home and lead the revolution to remove scar it and his rogue government!
When” revolutionaries” get power but have forgotten their previous jobs,values and vision they switch from heralding ‘fundamental change” to become apostles of “No Change”.Our reality!!!
Julian Johnson should be the LAST PERSON to talk about INTEGRITY,
Johnson I heard a lot about you,but to me you are nothing more than the ordinary man,talk,talk, and more talk….You were in a position to effect change in many ways in Dominica,to ensure that this country is less corrupt,but you were a huge disappointment!!!!!! PARWOL YOU HAVE ONLY!!
I would have been encouraged to have read.’Former IPO Chairman praises Namibia’s President for voluntary declaration of assets and chastises Dominica’s President and Prime Minister for……. etc”…….Dream on I hear you saying.
Yes we did place too much faith in the strength and mettle of our former activists to help us get rid of the “monsters” we all have created.
that’s the issue i have with dcans who claim to have some type of degree or hold some sort of man made title….all good to give sweet chatter out of your environment but in truth, you’re surely not in that league of greatness…never will..a great of good person who is morally and ethically deep will show his/her colours at all levels…..
why wasn’t he vocal or leading the way in terms of advocacy for good governance on his island dominica..these guys are a bunch of cowards and failures period…
history will show they let dominica down at all levels…
he is a fake period….typical dcans sucking the core dominica…bunch of hypocrites…