The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has renewed its demand for the resignation of Martin Miller, managing director of the National Housing Trust (NHT).
Senator Dr Floyd Morris, Shadow Minister of Housing and Sustainable Living, has once again voiced the necessity for Miller’s departure, asserting, “the failed transaction with Dexim Holdings Ltd and the messy handling of the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) underscore the imperative for heightened transparency and accountability among public servants.”
Dr Morris highlighted that repeated endeavours to obtain details of the court order from various parties have been thwarted by the NHT’s consistent reply, which cites the non-disclosure agreement as the reason for withholding the information.
He further noted that the now-public document contradicts NHT’s previous statements, revealing them as untruthful.
“The representatives of NHT, including the managing director, misled the nation on this critical issue. There must be consequences for all those implicated.
“The NHT has long been a bastion of trust and assurance for Jamaicans, standing out as one of the finest public entities for over four decades. We cannot permit those who misrepresent facts about private agreements to govern this institution.
“We are witnessing the normalization of poor governance practices. The creation of non-disclosure agreements by public entities is detrimental to national governance. The citizens are entitled to information about their institutions in a free and democratic society,” Dr Morris declared in a statement released today.
Dr Morris is now appealing to Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who oversees the NHT, to provide full disclosure on the issue. “We demand to know when the prime minister was informed of this deal and his directions to the NHT board and management.”
In response to the calls for his resignation, Miller has previously stated that such action is unwarranted as he has adhered to the organisation’s established procedures.
“I have abided by the rules and followed the organisation’s established practices, and that is what we have consistently done,” Miller stated firmly.
