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Opposition Spokesperson on Justice Senator Donna Scott-Mottley said Chuck’s remarks amount to nothing less than an “open assault” on Jamaica’s legal and ethical foundations.
Opposition People’s National Party is demanding the immediate resignation of Justice Minister Delroy Chuck, following his controversial remarks about the Integrity Commission (IC).
Chuck said Tuesday that he has told Members of Parliament not to divulge the salaries of their spouses or children to the IC whenever it requests the information. He made the unsolicited admission during a meeting of the Parliament’s Integrity Commission Oversight Committee.
Opposition Spokesperson on Justice Senator Donna Scott-Mottley said Chuck’s remarks amount to nothing less than an “open assault” on Jamaica’s legal and ethical foundations.
“The Minister of Justice has demonstrated both a shocking ignorance of the law and a brazen willingness to encourage others to break it,” said Senator Scott-Mottley. “Such disgraceful conduct from the chief steward of our justice system, who is also a King’s Counsel, is a direct attack on the rule of law and the very principles of accountability and transparency that underpin our democracy.” This instance is the latest and most egregious example of several similar comments by this minister of Justice.
Minister Chuck’s statements not only undermine the independence of the Integrity Commission but also embolden lawlessness at the highest levels of government, signalling to the Jamaican people that laws are malleable tools to be manipulated for political expediency, or that those who make laws are above the law. “Further, the seeming justification of his statements based on the reluctance of spouses is indicative of a greater lack of understanding of the law by the minister,” Senator Scott-Mottley continued.
According to the opposition any failure of the prime minister to demand a resignation” will be seen as a tacit endorsement of this lawless behaviour and an admission that the administration prioritises political survival over the rule of law”.
“Our democracy, our institutions, and our people deserve leaders who will uphold the law, not trample on it for their own convenience,” the opposition said in a statement.
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