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| Recalling the 123rd anniversary of the birth of Rt Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey National Hero |
Minutes for the General Meeting of the
Public Relations Society of Jamaica
August 17, 2010
Jampro Training Room, Trafalgar Road
Past Presidents
Miss Christine Ann Bell, Innovative Ideas
Mr Mark Thomas, Jampro
Mrs Beverley Josephs, UTech
Members
Mrs Gwyneth Davidson, OPM
Mrs Gwyneth Davidson, OPM
Mr Neville Graham, Credit Union League
Mrs Yvonne Grinam Nicholson, ROC Communications, IABC President
Ms Carrole James, PIOJ
Mr Leo Mc Ewan, Ministry of Transport and Works
Mr Stephen Shaw, NWA
Ms Cheryl Smith, Ministry of Finance and the Public Service
Mr Cecil Thoms, Ministry of Agriculture
Ms Kimberley Weller, ODPEM
Ms Delmares White, ODPEM
Guests Present
Mr Glen Brown, Papine Development Area Committee
Ms Nikesha Burchell, Jampro Communications
Ms Melecia Brown, Ministry of National Security, National Security Strategy Co-ordinating Unit
Mr Daniel Dunkley, Ministry of Labour and Social Security PR
Ms Colette Gooden, Office of Utilities Regulation, PR
Ms Carolyn Graham, Maritime Authority of Jamaica PR
Ms Anthea Mc Gibbon, Blogger
Ms Enith Williams, past PIOJ, PR
Mr Christopher Wolfe, Ministry of Labour and Social Security PR
Dr Trevor Munroe, Professor of Government and Politics, UWI
Apologies
Mr Christopher Benjamin, Consultant
Ms Analisa Downes, SLB
Ms Deborah Hickling, Consultant
The meeting was called to order by President Delmares White at 6:20 p.m. who invited Past President, Christine Bell to offer a prayer.
President White acknowledged the presence of Past Presidents Christine Ann Bell, Mark Thomas and Beverley Johnson and President of the IABC, Yvonne Grinam Nicholson. She welcomed visitors and members of the media, Erica Virtue and Mr Wellington of the Jamaica Observer and Peter from Newstalk 93FM. It was noted that the meeting was being held on the 123 anniversary of the birth of the Rt Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, National Hero.
The meeting was advised that Mrs Shawnette Henry had resigned from the post of Vice President of Special Events as she was no longer able to carry out the duties of that post. Her resignation has been accepted and the Society looked forward to her continued participation as a Full Member.
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| Slide Show of Meeting |
Member Cecil Thoms introduced the Guest Speaker, Professor of Government and Politics at UWI, and Director of the National Integrity Action Forum (NIAF). The NIAF is a project of the the Centre for Leadership and Governance which is a collaboration of the Department of Government, UWI and the Mona School of Business. It is comprised of government officials whose work impact on integrity. Dr Munroe gave an address that led to a discussion on the topic: "Progress Being Made in Surmounting Challenges in Combatting Corruption". Dr Munroe said that the country has pulled back from a tipping point on the matter of corruption. He noted that in a 1999 study, half of persons surveyed said that corruption was the greatest threat to democracy. Another study, which was conducted in 2008 by the Centre for Leadership and Government found that of 22 regional states, Jamaica was ranked highest in terms of perceptions of corruption. He noted the following as small but important steps of progress:
Compliance on reporting award of contracts to the Contractor General had moved from 13% to 100%;
Serious efforts are being made by the police force to eliminate corrupt staff. Between January and July 2010, the JCF has not re-enlisted 170 policemen and women for reason of suspicion of corruption. Of this number, 21 have been charged;
A senior police officer has been convicted of corruption;
There is one Member of Parliament before the court on charges of corruption and another recommended for charge;
There have been investigations into corruption in several state agencies and as a result, 30 persons are before the DPP;
Law enforcement officials are prepared to deal with the most powerful political and business interests;
The Chief Justice has established a Corruption Court.
He outlined several hurdles that need to be overcome in combatting corruption:
Slow rate of prosecutions. He supports the anti-corruption agency as promoted by the Contractor General;
Insufficient systems in the upcoming regulations to monitor political parties need to plug more loopholes. He urged PRSJ members to be alert on this topical issue;
Lack of robust public demand for anti corruption efforts;
Dr Munroe then announced that by the end of the year, a Jamaica chapter of Transparency International, a global watchdog on corruption, will be established in Jamaica. He said that this can develop a systematic approach to outreach and public education on the necessity of combatting corruption more effectively.
He noted that Jamaica was consistently in the top ten counties where there was a strong perception of freedom of the press and that this should be protected.
In the discussion that followed there was general agreement that there was a need for continuous public education on how corruption affects the man in the street, contributes to murder, siphons off scarce funds to the pockets of those who are corrupt and damages services to which the public is entitled. There was agreement that a narrative needs to be developed on the benefits of fighting corruption and the promotion of fairness and equity. There was also general sentiment that the criminal justice system needs to inspire more confidence in the people it is there to serve. One way suggested is to ensure that legal defences are not financed by ill-gotten gains.
Gwyneth Davidson delivered the Vote of Thanks to the guest speaker.
As there was no other business, the motion for the adjournment of the meeting was moved at 8:15 p.m. by Kimberley Weller and seconded by Cecil Thoms. Refreshments were offered for a contribution of $300.
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