Important date - IBRC commission deadline

THE debate around the the terms of reference for the Commission of Investigation into transactions by IBRC continues but one of the conditions proposed by the Government must be regarded as carved in stone.

As an election is less than 12 months away the Government proposal that the commission will report no later than December 31 this year must be regarded as sacred – unless of course it wishes to adopt the even earlier deadline suggested by some members of the opposition. It would be unacceptable, and undermine our democracy, if an election was called before the very serious matters under investigation were clarified. It would lead to an election campaign riddled with even more suspicion and innuendo than is usual and distract from other important issues.

By traditional commission standards, ones involving time frames that stretch beyond a decade and bills running into hundreds of millions and a banking inquiry starting years after the event, the December 31 deadline may seem a demanding one but it is essential that it is met.