Wright’s situation reignites debate for impeachment law for elected officials

Pressure is mounting on Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Westmoreland, George Wright to resign in wake of allegations that he physically abused a woman in the parish recently.

Jamaica’s two most influential private sector groups, the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ) and the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) as well as the Jamaica Council of Churches have added their voice to the calls from civil society groups for the resignation of Wright, a first-term MP.

The calls for Wright’s resignation were triggered by a violent and disturbing viral video recording showing a man assaulting a woman with his hands and with a stool that was circulated in early April. Those calling for Wright’s resignation say the sheer and sustained brutality that was on display was outrageous at first sight but this outrage was exacerbated by the allegation that the perpetrator was a member of the nation’s Parliament.

In a joint statement yesterday the PSOJ and JCC have declared that, “if the allegations regarding the identification of the assailant in the video are true, the Member of Parliament should do the honourable thing and resign his seat in Parliament. We say this even in the knowledge that there has not been a conclusive investigative or court-directed process regarding the identification of the assailant in the video.”

READ: Private Sector Groups | Jamaican parliamentarian allegedly in assault video must ‘do the right thing’

The private sector groups noted that, based on statements from the police, that they have not charged anyone arising from the videotaped assault because the two persons who visited separate police stations to make reports, declined to provide statements and the fact that the videotape was not of a sufficiently high quality to categorically identify those involved.

PSOJ and JCC respond to Wright remaining in parliament

“We note that the alleged assailant has stepped down from representing his party’s parliamentary caucus and has indicated a desire to remain in Parliament as an independent MP and is in the process of applying for leave from Parliament. We do not believe that this change in status, however long it is meant to last, suffices,” the PSOJ and JCC declared in their joint statement.

According to the private sector groups, “since at this point, the alleged perpetrator has not publicly insisted on his unequivocal innocence to his colleagues and to the police, he is not of the calibre that belongs in Parliament.”

In a release to the media, the Council of Churches called on the Central Westmoreland MP “to do the honourable, pure and excellent thing and withdraw from the Parliament. We also call on the political directorate to support such an action as a necessary consequence of perpetrating such violence against another human being.”

“The council is of the view that we ought to hold all members of the society, especially leaders, to good moral character and the highest standards of conduct. Our Christian faith calls on us to hold ourselves, individual and corporate to pursuing conduct, especially in public, which upholds high moral standards and demonstrates good moral character,” the statement read.

Call for impeachment legislation to be passed

Both the JCC and PSOJ are fully supportive of the call by the Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal for the re-introduction and inclusion of the Constitution (Amendment) (Impeachment) Bill on this year’s legislative agenda. The Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal wants the parliament to convene a Joint Select Committee to review and hold hearings on the bill with the passage and enactment of the bill done during the current 2021/2022 legislative year.

The PSOJ and JCC argued that, “our House of Parliament cannot be seen to be delicately manoeuvring between the raindrops on demanding accountability, highlighting that all Jamaica is watching. Under Jamaica’s constitution, an MP can only be removed if he/she resigns voluntarily or is voted out of office.

The proposed impeachment bill fell off the agenda when current Prime Minister, Andrew Holness replaced his predecessor, Bruce Golding in 2011.

Golding bats for impeachment legislation

In the meantime former Prime Minister Golding is batting for an impeachment law for parliamentarians, which would see their removal from office. He is urging Jamaicans to force the current Andrew Holness led administration to retable impeachment legislation, which was brought to parliament in 2011 during his tenure as Prime Minister.

Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body initiates charges against a public official, including a parliamentarian for misconduct, which could lead to their removal from office.