The role of the Ombudsman
Uploaded by matthew1999 on Dec 17, 2017
The Role and Effectiveness of the Ombudsmen in Jamaica
“The Ombudsman, as a protector of citizens of a country against the abuse of power and their human right, is a singular important institution in the pursuit of democratic governance.” This statement by A.J. Nicholson encapsulates the very essence of the role of the Ombudsman. The term Ombudsman literally means representative or agent of the people. Therefore, the Ombudsman acts as a go-between for the people and the powers that would have allegedly violated the rights of the people. In Jamaica, the ombudsman may investigate any matter that the complainant applies to the Supreme Court for recompense which is embedded within the Jamaican constitution. The Ombudsman is not powerless as he/she can recommend enactments, rules or regulations that may cause injustice to be rectified.
In Jamaica, there are different types of Ombudsmen that have different roles, responsibilities and standards of practice. These ombudsmen are, the utilities ombudsman, the parliamentary ombudsman, political ombudsman and the ombudsman for contract. They all come together to form the representative unit of the people. The Utilities ombudsman has the ability or power to intervene in disputes involving the National Water Commission, the post and telegraph department, the Jamaica Public Service among others. To be more specific, matters including incorrect bills for utilities, unfair disconnections and inadequate street lighting all fall within the purview of the utilities ombudsman. It is wise to note that the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) is the utilities ombudsman as they carry out the aforementioned duties. The office of the utilities ombudsman is very effective as they act as a buffer in that they protect the rights of citizens and regulate the provision of prescribed utility services. Case in point, the OUR’s review of the back billing policy and procedures for JPS after a report from a dissatisfied customer, saw a reduction from four to two months of the allowable period in which JPS is allowed to back bill a customer’s account, therefore it is quite clear that the utilities ombudsman plays a major role in utilities regulation and customer representation.
The parliamentary ombudsman is another branch in the tree of representation. This ombudsman deals with matters involving government agencies in general and seeks to change laws through advocacy or through the identification of flaws in public policy. The office of the parliamentary ombudsman tends to target the local government, the authorities approved by...