PNP councillors demand audit of dengue mitigation programme in St Catherine South East

The Portmore Municipal Corporation is moving to have an audit conducted into the use of funds allocated for bulky waste removal as part of dengue mitigation activities in St Catherine South East.

Councillor Fenley Douglas, who raised the issue during a recent general meeting, accused Member of Parliament Robert Miller of receiving $5 million from the public coffers with little progress in waste removal across the constituency.

Douglas, supported by Edgewater councillor, Alrick Campbell, Bridgeport councillor, Kenard Grant, and the councillor for the Westchester division, Renair Benjamin, alleged that persons favouring the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) were chosen for the cleanup efforts.

He also presented pictures and a voice note as evidence, claiming political victimisation and partisan practices in the allocation of work.

"Last week a bulky waste cleanup was carried out in the community, and a text message was sent to JLP operatives only to put out their bulky waste and not People's National Party supporters," Douglas alleged during the meeting.

He continued: "Not Social Development Commission, not community organisations, not citizen associations but an unelected party operative. I didn't know that a caretaker could spend government money. Chairman I am demanding that an audit be conducted into the spending of these funds."

He further accused Miller of sidelining People's National Party (PNP) supporters in the distribution of funds meant for small business start-ups.

Miller dismissed the allegations as "political mischief making" and expressed his willingness to participate in an audit.

"What the councillors want me to do is give them government money to spend, but I will not do it, I will not allow my name and my character to be drawn into the mud," Miller proclaimed.

He then asserted that the allocated funds, $2 million channelled through the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), were managed transparently.

"The money that was allocated to the constituency is $2 million through the NSWMA, and they get their contractor to do the work," Miller explained. He detailed that the funds were divided equally among the five divisions after deducting the agency's fee.

Miller acknowledged the challenge of completing the cleanup with limited funds, stating, "When you divide $1.7 million for five divisions, the most loads you can take out is 10, and we have the receipts to show."

Miller also stated that JLP standard bearer for the Bridgeport division in the upcoming local government election, Dwayne Ebanks, paid for 10 of the 20 loads of bulky waste taken from the division from his own resources.  

He further highlighted the need for an additional $3 million to adequately address the bulky waste issue in all five divisions.

- Ruddy Mathison

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