![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/dno\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/commentary.jpg\" "\\"commentary\\"")
Dominicans have been calling for amendments to the IPO Act to strengthen the Commission.<\/p>\nDominicans have been calling for amendments to the IPO Act to strengthen the Commission.<\/p>\n
As regards the so-called Integrity Commission, the UWP and the so-called Bar Association have done the country a huge, though unintended favour.<\/p>\n
For those who did not have eyes to see, they have made it very clear through their recent appointments to the Commission that they see the Commission as one big joke. The case of Dave Bruney has been sufficiently exposed and is now sub-judice. The case of the Bar Association\u2019s nominee is hardly less heinous. I will not expound on this at this time except to refer all to the speech of the gentleman in question at the so-called anti-corruption meeting in Lagon at the height of the last election campaign in December 2009. Let anyone who is reasonably objective tell me that this is a fit and proper person to be sitting on our country\u2019s Integrity Commission.<\/p>\n
Unless of course the Commission is indeed really one big joke.<\/p>\n
However if it is a big joke, then it is an expensive joke, costing the tax payers a lot of money. How many people are aware of the cost of the Comission; of the salaries paid to the Chairman and the other commissioners? Has this information ever been made public?<\/p>\n
If the Commission is a joke, we need to get serious and suspend it while we do what is necessary to fix it. As Tony Astaphan had said at the time the Act should not have been put into effect without a number of amendments. Somewhat understandably, the Government was under considerable pressure to implement, (candle-light vigils etc. led by the usual suspects), and the Act was therefore put into effect as is. Those persons who were clamouring for its implementation did not pay attention to the real powers of the Commission and the need for amendments, and they found out only afterwards that the IPO could not do those things that they wanted it to do. They have therefore dismissed the Commission as a waste of time.<\/p>\n
Thus, by way of a perverse set of circumstances, there is close to a national consensus that the Commission, if not ill conceived, was certainly improperly designed. Here is an indicative set of changes that need to be made to the Act:<\/p>\n
1. Contrary to what the Chairman seemed to be implying when he called in his report for more \u201ccomprehensive\u201d coverage of the powers of the IPO under the Act, the scope of the Act needs to be narrowed. The net is far too wide. Too many public officers have to spend time satisfying the requirements under the Act, thus taking time away from their paid duties, lowering g their respective individual productivities. To those persons fulfilling the requirements under the Act is a complete and unnecessary nuisance. The politicians seemed so peeved at having to subject themselves to the requirements under the Act that they decided to pull everyone else in with them \u2013 reminiscent of a former Roman Emperor. Thus we have the ridiculousness of the issues that have attended the positions of Senior Clerk, for example. Come on: Deputy Fire Chief, Chief Cultural Officer, and Board Chairmen \u2013 give one a break. By way of putting things right, let us focus on the politicians \u2013 the members of Parliament. Let us start off with just that lot; and let us add to the list on the basis of time and experience. The real \u201ccorruption\u201d issue concerns politicians, not the Chief Cultural officer, the Financial Secretary and such like. We are harassing people unnecessarily; we are being too intrusive into the lives and affairs of too many individuals in this very small place.<\/p>\n
2. The composition of the Commission is too obviously and explicitly political. Currently it is three nominated by Government and two from the Opposition. Explicitly political. Our President has no say in the matter; in who actually gets on the omission. Hence the nonsense of the two latest appointments to the IPO Commission. This is unfortunate. We should follow the example of Trinidad and Tobago where the appointments are made at the discretion of the President. He seeks suggestions from stakeholder institutions \u2013 Bar Association, political parties and others \u2013 but at the end of the day, the President makes the appointments in his own discretion. I believe this is the model we should adopt here in Dominica.<\/p>\n
3. Related to the above is my recommendation that the IPO Commission should be removed from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Legal Affairs to the Office of the President. Hopefully this is a recommendation that is obvious enough. The independence, impartiality and apolitical persona that one desires of the Commission can most definitely best be achieved through locating the IPO Commission in the Office of the President.<\/p>\n
I am sure other persons have their ideas as to changes that need to be made. This is why Government should circulate a White Paper on proposed changes to the Act and its modus operandi and invite public comment. This would be an excellent ode to transparency and operationalized democracy. Circulate and set deadlines for submitting comments. Let\u2019s do this and put right this massive, unfortunate and costly wrong.<\/p>\n
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the management and staff of Dominica News Online and its parent companies.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dominicans have been calling for amendments to the IPO Act to strengthen the Commission. As regards the so-called Integrity Commission, the UWP and the so-called Bar Association have done the country a huge, though unintended favour. For those who did…","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n