PM defends Finance Minister’s involvement in FINSAC enquiry

[Lazie]

Food shortages worldwide, the first thing Shaw did was go to the IMF and WB.
Shaw should remove himself from the fact-finding process,if alone to remove the doubts of the investigation being impartial.





Blessed

.. and what is wrong with going to the IMF and the World Bank? Rockman, sometimes I wonder if you're serious.

[Rockman]

Food shortages worldwide, the first thing Shaw did was go to the IMF and WB.
Shaw should remove himself from the fact-finding process,if alone to remove the doubts of the investigation being impartial.





Blessed

[Lazie]

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has defended his Finance Minister after Thursday's attack by the Opposition who questioned his ability to be a neutral party in the creation of a Commission of Enquiry into the financial sector meltdown of the 1990s.
In an interview with RJR News on Thursday night the Prime Minister said it was important to have an enquiry so that past mistakes would not be repeated in the future.
Mr. Golding argued that Finance Minister Audley Shaw was not compromised.
"I know of certain conversations I had with Mr. Shaw before I appointed him to the Ministry of Finance and there are certain things I had to be satisfied about before I would have given him that ministry. I think he is doing an excellent job and he will be issuing a statement tomorrow. He's not compromised," said Mr. Golding.
He said the decision to have a Commission of Enquiry was taken by the cabinet.
Meanwhile, the Finance Minister said concerns raised by the Opposition about a conflict of interest is unwarranted as he will not be involved in setting up the Enquiry.
Mr. Shaw said he will issue a statement today in a bid to clear the air about his bank debts.
"I just want to indicate that the indebtedness or former indebtedness of one of my companies Shaw's Hardware Limited was a well known fact and the debt to the Jamaica Redevelopment Foundation was settled three years ago in April 2005," said Mr. Shaw.
Mr. Shaw explained that the naming of the Commission members and the parameters of the investigation will be the responsibility of the Prime Minister and the Governor General.
At a press conference on Thursday Dr. Davies demanded that Mr. Shaw withdraw from the Commission of Enquiry.
He said Mr. Shaw, who was one of four Cabinet members who had to be bailed out by FINSAC, had no moral authority to be a part of the Commission.
In the meantime, Mr. Shaw said he intends to testify before the Commission of Enquiry.
The Finance Minister said he has a role to play in revealing the wrongs which were committed during the financial sector crisis of the 1990's.
"I intend to testify before the commission because I firmly believe that Jamaican cannot afford ever again to have another financial sector collapse and it is imperitive that the country becomes fully aware as to the circumstances that lead to the collapse and the consequences," said Mr. Shaw.