Hylton

The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce came under fire in the Senate yesterday from Government Senator Anthony Hylton.

Mr. Hylton accused the organisation of being hypocritical in terms of comments it made on the $31 million contribution to the PNP by Dutch firm Trafigura Beheer.

He called for urgent legislation to govern contributions to political parties.

But on the motion of adjournment, Senator Hylton, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, said the statements were out of line.

Said he: "I cannot understand why a business organisation concerned about commercial activity would choose, in the context that both issues are presented, to speak to one and not the other of these issues, it is hypocrisy!" he said.

But this drew the wrath of Opposition members, who said that Mr. Hylton's comments were inappropriate.

"The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce has chosen to make a statement in relation to actions taken by a certain political party, and I think it is a very bold statement," said Leader of Opposition Business, Anthony Johnson.

"Argument about whether there was a kickback, whether there was an agreement or not doesn't arise. The issue ... is if I go to act on your behalf and I conduct a financial transaction, I enter into a contract on your behalf. I am not supposed to receive any sort of gift!" he said.

But Mr. Hylton insisted that the issue was that a financial law was broken and that it reflected badly on the country's financial integrity. "There is one fundamental issue, however, which is in danger of being subsumed or overlooked. It is this, the implication of the unauthorised disclosure - of the integrity of the banking system," he said.

call for investigation

But Opposition Senator Shirley Williams said Mr. Hylton's statements were "unparliamentarian," and has called on Auditor General Adrian Strachan to investigate the awarding of government contracts to Dutch company Trafigura and other foreign companies.

"I am calling on the Auditor General to audit that transaction ...," she said.

She also said the actions of the Government were immoral. "The fact of the matter is that we do not legislate morality and therefore nobody, whether the JCC, any senator on this side or any member of the Lower House, needs to tell you that it is immoral to do the kind of business you have done by receiving money from a foreign contractor of this Government," she said.

- dionne.rose@gleanerjm.com