COP tells Jack choose between business and ministerial post

File: Jack Warner

The Congress of the People (COP) issued a media release Tuesday urging National Security Minister Jack Warner to make a choice between his private business interest and his job as a cabinet minister.

The unsigned release from COP Leader Prakash Ramadhar said the matter of Warner's business interests was discussed at a meeting of COP's national executive on Monday night.

Warner recently confirmed that he is negotiating the purchase of the Mirror newspaper as well as substantial shares in the the Newsday newspaper. The minister has been in business long before he entered active politics.

COP said the holding of "the highest public offices imposes on the holders a duty to the country to conduct themselves according to the highest standards of ethical and political conduct in the public interest."

It added, "In that context, current governance practice, according to the Code of Ethics established by government, requires that persons holding Ministerial office divest themselves of personal economic interests.

"Ministers are required to put their own commercial or business interests in the care and conduct of others while they hold office. The creation of blind trusts, the use of Powers of Attorney and similar instruments are used to allow the Minister to devote the total of his time, energy and efforts to the fulfilment of his public duties to the state and people of Trinidad and Tobago."

COP said, "The People’s Partnership’s Declaration of Values as part of the Fyzabad Accord of April 2010 also commits member parties and individual members to these high standards of public service."

It noted that professionals, once appointed as Ministers, are required to withdraw from their private practice, citing the case of health minister Dr Fuad Khan who had to give up his medical practice.

"Our governance requires that the holders of public office be exemplars in steadfastly applying such norms of devotion to public duty and the best practice of good governance so that our society may be further uplifted as we chart the course of nation-building over the next 50 years of our development," COP said.

The party demanded that all ministers choose "between personal commercial interests and the public interest." It added, "We expect all to avoid potential conflicts of interest and act according to the highest standards of
conduct expected of public officials."