The following is a statement from Phillip Paulwell, leader of Opposition business in the House of Representatives, amidst what he calls government misrepresentation of the Opposition’s call for genuine oversight:

 The letter issued by Minister Floyd Green on November 13 regrettably confirms the Government’s continued unwillingness to confront the central issue at hand: the urgent need for a credible, broad-based national oversight mechanism to guide the Hurricane Melissa relief and recovery efforts.

Contrary to themMinister’s assertions, the Opposition has been consistent, transparent and unwavering in its call for a national task force, one that goes beyond Parliament and includes representatives of the private sector, the church, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders whose participation is essential to building trust in this moment of national crisis.

It is therefore misleading and disingenuous for the Minister to suggest that a Joint Select Committee of Parliament satisfies this call. The country knows better. A parliamentary committee, drawn only from Members of Parliament and controlled by the Government majority, cannot and will never be a substitute for a national, non-partisan, multi-sectoral task force with real oversight responsibility.

Hurricane Melissa has worsened the already low levels of public trust in the State’s disaster-management systems. It is precisely for this reason that the Opposition has insisted on adopting best-practice models of transparent governance, rather than the narrow and inadequate structures the Government seeks to impose.

The minister’s indication that he intends once again to use the adjournment debate to address this matter is also inappropriate. Matters of national disaster management and public accountability require a ministerial statement, which permits full scrutiny and questioning, not a statement delivered without the opportunity for genuine parliamentary engagement.

The opposition’s position remains clear: We will continue to insist on good governance, full transparency and rigorous accountability. We will not allow the Government to obscure, minimise or mischaracterise our proposals. Jamaica deserves the highest standards of oversight in managing relief efforts that affect the lives of thousands of our citizens.

There can be no unity without honesty, no consensus without credibility and no recovery without trust.