Dennis Chung. Photo: Jamaica Observer

It follows reports that the Government had blocked access to information (ATI) requests regarding the removal of the law enforcement experience criteria for the top job, which was ultimately given to chartered accountant Dennis Chung.

In a release on Tuesday, the Watchman Church Leaders Alliance (WCLA) said it views the development “with discomfort”.

“The entire recruitment matter has unfortunately been embroiled in unnecessary controversy and undermined by avoidable criticisms of civil society groups and church leaders,” the WCLA said, noting that it had provided recommendations to the appropriate office to address the matter in a fair manner, “taking into account Mr Chung’s own rights as a citizen, and the public’s right to unquestionable assurance.

“But regrettably we are yet to receive a response,” the WCLA said.

The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) and civil society groups have also expressed concerns over the lack of transparency.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dana Morris Dixon insisted that the Government has “nothing to hide” in the selection process and maintained that the removal of the law enforcement prerequisite “didn’t seem controversial to the team because the criteria in relation to law enforcement experience was not one that was there from the very beginning”.

READ: ‘Nothing to hide in FID selection’, says Morris Dixon

Still, the WCLA said it urges the authorities “to act swiftly to ensure that the right of citizens to be informed is not compromised by obstructive bureaucracy and indefensible road-blocks.

“The government has maintained that no impropriety took place and therefore it is very important that there are no delays nor denials in requests for informational clarity,” the group said, adding that it urges “the urgent appropriate government intervention to ensure accountability to the public, and to ensure that the integrity of the public service is not called into question or potentially brought into disrepute.”