Proposed legislation to protect whistleblowers from prosecution, victimisation, harassment and danger to their employment, as well as the past People’s Partnership government’s procurement/disposal of public property legislation, has been forwarded to parliamentary Joint Select Committees (JSC) for scrutiny.
This was done at yesterday’s parliament session. Two JSCs appointed to examine the bills are to report back by January 22, 2016.
Attorney-General Faris Al-Rawi said the whistleblower protection bill was necessary due to the paucity of witnesses.
“Everyone suspects who is guilty but no one steps forward to testify to guilt-bearing evidence. The fear of victimisation and reprisal for honest exposure is not only perceived but real,” he said.
The bill is a hybrid based on models in Malta, Jamaica and Malaysia, he said. He said it would protect people from criminal or civil suit, and would also cover detrimental action ranging from victimisation and harassment to injury, loss or damage to employment, family life, career, profession, trade or business. Malicious or fraudulent action on the part of the whistleblower is taken into account in the bill.
Al-Rawi also said his ministry was dealing with the legislative mechanism for the appointment of a commissioner of police, which was expected to be completed by monthend.
Finance Minister Colm Imbert, speaking about the procurement bill, said the JSC scrutiny would examine the policy and merits of the legislation and procedures for appointing a procurement regulator to see if these “make sense and are in the best interests of T&T.”
However, former planning minister Dr Bhoe Tewarie, who had piloted the procurement bill under the PP, accused the Government of delaying on the bill and attempting to water it down. He said the procurement regulator was the strongest aspect of the bill. Al-Rawi subsequently denied this, saying the Government aimed to strengthen the role of the regulator. He said the bill would cover procurement concerning all state land.
The JSC which will examine the whistleblower legislation comprises government ministers Al-Rawi, Stuart Young, Edmund Dillon, an opposition MP and four senators to be named.
The JSC examining the procurement bill comprises Ministers Imbert, Cherrie Ann Cockburn-Crichlow, Adrian Leonce, an opposition MP and four senators.
Also in Parliament, Imbert, replying to opposition questions, said a certificate in the sum of $102 million has been made in favour of OAS (Constructora) and the Government was carefully considering this and all matters of a contractual nature regarding the Point Fortin highway contract.
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, in addressing the House on another matter, also said that based on World Health Organisation statistics on non-communicable diseases, T&T hadn’t progressed between 1990 and 2013. He noted factors, including pre-existing conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. He also noted lack of succession planning in public institutions and the length of experience of doctors.
Deyalsingh said the ministry would meet next Wednesday with stakeholders and would go through the 76 recommendations made on the situation arising from various reports. He said very few were implemented and those would start being implemented as of Wednesday.