The Jamaica Council of Churches (JCC) has expressed concerns with the direction in which the proceedings of Parliament have gone and how matters of a delicate nature have been handled in the recent times.

This follows a controversial debate surrounding the decision taken by Speaker of the House of Representatives Juliet Holness to send back two reports to the Auditor General’s Department without tabling last week. They were later tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, March 26.

JCC, in a statement on Thursday, March 28, welcomed the tabling of the reports in Parliament, noting that this comes at a time when there have been heightened concerns and expressions regarding the need for public access to reports from the oversight institutions of the nation.

“We note that some constitutional and procedural questions have been raised and wonder if some of these could not be resolved by greater levels of dialogue and discourse. In this regard, the nation awaits the benefit of the willingness of our leaders to share the legal opinion of the Auditor General (Attorney General) regarding the tabling of reports. Further, we look forward to the outcomes in the near future that will stem the tide of mistrust of our government and its leaders as we believe that the high levels of mistrust that exist in our society can only lead to more deviance, disorder and noncompliance. The nation looks forward to the promotion of the common good from the highest political authority in the land, the Parliament,” JCC said.

It further urged parliamentarians to encourage and display the deepest sensitivity towards collegiality.

“We also earnestly encourage our leaders to engender a strong appetite for dialogue and consultation even as the constitutional power of discretion is exercised. Further, we encourage them to practise a model of leadership that privileges the ethic of community, prioritises national and public interests and portrays cordiality, collegiality and cooperation,” JCC added.