KINGSTON 5, JAMAICA, W.I | MEDIA RELEASE | 16 March 2012
Contractor General Formally Advises Governor General that he will Demit Office
Kingston; March 16, 2012 – Contractor General, Greg Christie, by way of letter that was dated March 15, 2012, has written to the Governor General, Sir Patrick Allen, to formally confirm that he will neither seek nor accept an extension to his initial seven (7) year term of office.
The Contractor General’s initial term of office, which is prescribed by law, is set to expire either on November 30, 2012, or sooner in the event that he chooses to take up his outstanding leave.
The Contractor General has advised the Governor General that he will consult with him as to the precise date, between July and November, on which he will officially demit office.
The Governor General, who had asked the Contractor General to accept a re-appointment to office, is vested with the authority, under Section 6 (1) of the Contractor General Act, to re-appoint a sitting Contractor General for “periods not exceeding five years at a time”.
“The depth of my gratitude for the honour which has been bestowed upon me to serve my country as Contractor General, cannot be adequately articulated by words. Neither can the deep sense of pride and satisfaction that I have come to derive in consequence thereof”, the Contractor General said in his letter.
The Contractor General also said that he wanted to place upon record his sincere gratitude to the Governor General and to the many Jamaicans who had expressed their desire, in one way or the other, that he should remain in office beyond November 30, 2012.
The full text of the Contractor General’s letter to the Governor General is appended hereto. The letter was delivered to King’s House yesterday and was copied to the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate, among other State officials.
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Contact: The Communications Department, Office of the Contractor General of Jamaica
C/o Craig Beresford, Senior Director of Monitoring Operations, Corporate Communications and Special Projects
E-mail: communications@ocg.gov.jm. Tel: 876-929-8560; Direct: 876-926-0034; Mobile: 876-564-1806
“March 15, 2012
His Excellency The Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, ON, GCMG, CD
Governor General of Jamaica
King’s House
Hope Road
Kingston 6
Your Excellency:
It is with a deep sense of regret that I write to formally confirm my decision that was previously given verbally to you, to demit my office as the Independent Parliamentary Commission of the Contractor General of Jamaica upon the expiration of my current seven (7) year statutory term of service.
My letter to you is accompanied with substantial sadness, particularly in light of your generous insistence, which has been consistently conveyed to me, that I should accept a reappointment for an extended term of service.
As I was appointed into office effective December 1, 2005, my current term of office will necessarily come to an end either on November 30, 2012, or sooner between the months of July and November 2012, as I presently hold to my credit some five (5) months’ outstanding vacation leave. I will, therefore, in due course, consult with you as to the precise date on which I will demit my office.
The depth of my gratitude for the honour which has been bestowed upon me to serve my country as Contractor General, cannot be adequately articulated by words. Neither can the deep sense of pride and satisfaction that I have come to derive in consequence thereof.
I can, however, say, with sincerity and humility, that I have been truly honoured to have had so much confidence reposed in me and I trust that I have not in any way disappointed those who have looked to me to do the right thing during my stewardship of office. If I, along with my committed staff to whom much is owed, have assisted, in some small way, in advancing our country’s anti-corruption institutional objectives, or the strength of its good governance structures, I would consider myself to have been uniquely blessed.
The decision that I had verbally disclosed to you, from as early as mid-2010, and on a number of occasions thereafter, that I would neither seek nor accept an extension of my initial term in office, has now been herein confirmed. However, it would be remiss of me, Your Excellency, if I did not place upon record my deep gratitude to you and to the many Jamaicans who have expressed their desire, in one way or the other, that I should remain in office beyond November 30, 2012.
The consistent support and encouragement that I have received from you, and from those of my fellow country-men who have stood behind the Office of the Contractor General throughout my tenure, has been invaluable and immeasurable. I can assure you that it has strengthened and energized my personal commitment to the faithful discharge of my mandate and, in consequence, I shall forever remain grateful to you and to them.
The provisions of the Contractor General Act of Jamaica, and the solemn Oath by which I am circumscribed, stress, inter alia, independence and the requirement that I must act, at all times, on behalf of the Parliament of Jamaica. I had, therefore, from the very outset, fully appreciated, understood and accepted that my responsibilities and functions were, by extension, to be discharged solely for and on behalf of the People and Taxpayers of Jamaica.
Having regard to the requirements of my mandates, I can unreservedly assure you, the Parliament and the People of Jamaica, that, during my tenure of service as Contractor General, I have consistently performed my functions in good faith and in the manner which is prescribed by the Contractor General Act.
I hereby pledge that until I demit my office as the Commission of the Contractor General of Jamaica, I will, to the best of my ability, continue to fearlessly serve only the collective interests of the People and Taxpayers of Jamaica, whilst faithfully discharging my functions as Contractor General.
In closing, I am only left to state that it is my fervent hope that one day the vision that my staff and I have passionately sought to advocate and nurture for Jamaica will come to pass. It is a vision of a Jamaica that is, among other things, corruption-free and, consequently, one in which the full socio-economic potential of the country and of every Jamaican can be reasonably attained.
I have copied my letter to you to the Most Honourable Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, since Section 3 of the Contractor General Act mandates that my successor must be appointed by you “after consultation with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition”.
I avail myself of this opportunity to renew to you, Your Excellency, the assurance of my highest considerations.
Very respectfully yours,
Greg Christie (Signed)
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Greg Christie
Contractor General
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