KINGSTON, Jamaica:
The Jamaica Labor Party caretaker for East Central St. Catherine, Alando Terrelong, wants an independent audit of the telephone records of Junior Minister in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Arnando Brown.
Television Jamaica, citing records obtained through the Access to Information Act, has reported that Brown has racked up a phone bill in excess of $1 million over an 11-month period.
Terrelong says this is highly excessive and flies in the face of the government’s push for cost containment.
The JLP caretaker says the huge phone bill is a cause for concern and there must be a full explanation.
Terrelong says while it is expected that government ministers will make telephone calls as part of their jobs, care must be taken to ensure that phone bills are kept at a reasonable level.
He says the government should consider a policy which encourages ministers to use more cost effective means to communicate.
This sentiment is shared by Opposition Spokesman on Science, ICT & Digital Society Development, Dr. Andrew Wheatley.
According to him, the excessive bills are unconscionable, and a grave insult to hard working taxpayers who are repeatedly called upon to make extraordinary sacrifices for the country.
Wheatley says the raft of modern communication platforms and services that are available, make these massive telephone bills even more unacceptable.
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