OPPOSITION LEADER SUPPORTS INTEGRITY COMMISSION AND OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN

St. George's, December 10, 2008 -- Leader of the Opposition, Dr The Rt. Hon. Keith Mitchell says he will continue to give his absolute support to the establishment of the Office of the Ombudsman and the Integrity Commission.

Dr. Mitchell gave this commitment to Dr. Roger Koranteng, Governance Adviser at the Commonwealth Secretariat.  Dr. Koranteng paid a courtesy call on Dr. Mitchell this morning as he lead an advisory mission to Grenada to engage key stakeholders in discussing and finalizing details on proposals presented to the Commonwealth Secretariat by the Keith Mitchell Administration.

The Former Prime Minister stated that tremendous work has already been done and credit must be given to Mrs. Beryl Isaac and the staff at the Department of Human Resources.  The former Government had made a request to the Commonwealth Secretariat for technical and financial assistance to establish the offices.

Speaking on the way forward Dr. Mitchell says he hopes that the Union and other stakeholders will give their full support to move the process forward.

Dr. Mitchell extended his best wishes to Dr. Koranteng for the success of the Mission.  Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Representative said he is pleased that the former Prime Minister will continue to give support to this important initiative.

The bill for the establishment of the Integrity Commission was tabled in Parliament in 2007.and was passed to ensure integrity in public life.  The law requires persons at various levels in public life to declare their assets, liabilities and income.  According to the former Prime Minister, the Government must now move speedily to implement this act with the support of the Commonwealth Secretariat.  It must be noted that on his own initiative, Dr. Mitchell has declared his assets for several years when other politicians refused to.