PRIME Minister Andrew Holness yesterday said that he will have to take a “close” look at the activities of the Ministry of National Security following several foul-ups in recent times.
A news release from the ministry Monday night said a new board had been appointed at the scandal-hit Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA), which included former Jamaica Labour Party candidate and chairman of the previous board Dennis Wright.
The FLA had come under intense pressure after it emerged that firearm licences were being issued to people of questionable character across administrations. The board subsequently resigned and two senior managers were fired.
The security ministry, in a second news release issued yesterday, said Wright declined the appointment to the new board and disclosed that a young investment banker is being considered in place of the former chairman.
Shortly after that, a third news release was issued in which National Security Minister Robert Montague said that he is yet to appoint a new FLA board, despite Monday night’s announcement from his ministry.
Also on Monday, president of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services Edgeton Newman withdrew as a member of the Security Programme Oversight Committee (SECURIPOC), citing that he had a conflict.
SECURIPOC, the ministry said, is a step for citizens to be involved in and contribute to the crafting and evaluation of implementation strategies and plans developed by the ministry.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Holness, while speaking to Nationwide Radio boss Cliff Hughes on the Ask OPM feature of Cliff Hughes Online, said the release announcing a new board was untimely.
“…Discussions were had and I believe that the first press release was premature. I also had no discussions with the minister regarding Mr Wright and the status of him accepting an appointment which was not made because an instrument of appointment was not issued,” Holness noted.
He said that Cabinet would take a second look at the submission presented, but mentioned that Montague was scheduled to leave the island yesterday and that he is of the view that Cabinet should not proceed with the appointment until the minister returns.
The prime minister said that he has been following public opinion on the matter closely, despite a busy schedule.
“I don’t want to get into too much details in the Cabinet discussions, but it is not a matter that was uniformly accepted… The instruments have not been issued and so no appointments have been made,” Holness insisted when asked again about Wright’s appointment.
Asked if operations at the ministry are amiss, Holness said: “I have to take a close look at what is happening there. I think greater scrutiny ought to be placed on naming persons to boards. The minister would obviously have done his due diligence but sometimes these things happen, where you appoint persons and then after you discover. But the important thing is that after you make the discovery you correct it.”
