Integrity legislation under review

GOVERNMENT officials said discussions are ongoing as to whether the Integrity Act should be amended to let the Integrity Commission require public officials to retroactively file declarations of assets held in the years 2000, 2001, and 2002. This recommendation was made in a Joint Select Committee (JSC) report to the Senate last year. On November 26, 2003, the Senate approved the Prescribed Forms and Regulations to effect the Integrity in Public Life Act 2000, minutes after approving the JSC report on these integrity subsidiary laws.  The forms were subsequently approved in the House of Representatives on December 5, 2003 and now await proclamation by President George Maxwell Richards.

The Government had been criticised for its repeated delays in bringing to Parliament this subsidiary legislation of the Integrity Commission, which has not been able to require officials to file declarations since the Integrity Act 2000 replaced the 1987 Integrity Act. However the issue about how wide the integrity net should be cast remains unresolved. Government officials explained that having received the approval of both Houses of Parliament, public officials can now declare their assets, but whether their declarations should be retroactive requires legislative changes. They said such legislation required a special majority for parliamentary passage and discussions have been ongoing with a view to obtaining Opposition support. The officials added that discussions about integrity legislation have “never stopped” but declined to give a timeframe as to when new integrity legislation will be laid in Parliament.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning has said that the Integrity Act should be reviewed and the net of persons required to file declarations with the Integrity Commission should be narrowed. Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday questioned why Government was trying to narrow the integrity net and the UNC has claimed the PNM has “cocoa in the sun.” Government Ministers Franklyn Khan, Danny Montano and Diane Seukeran said no member of the ruling party was afraid to declare their assets to the Integrity Commission because they had nothing to hide. Two members of the Betting Levy Board tendered their resignations last month after they refused to publicly declare their assets.