PNP demands full accounting of post-Melissa recovery spending

The Opposition People's National Party (PNP) is demanding that the Government provide a comprehensive account of expenditure on Hurricane Melissa recovery and reconstruction, particularly the rehabilitation of damaged schools, as Jamaica marks the first anniversary of the disaster.

In a statement issued early Thursday, the PNP questioned the timing of restrictions recently announced by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness on government vehicle purchases, overseas travel and discretionary spending, including Christmas celebrations, to redirect resources towards recovery.

While welcoming the measures, the party questioned why they were being introduced almost a year after the hurricane, noting that vehicle purchases and official travel had continued during that period.

The PNP is also demanding that the Government disclose the projected savings from the restrictions and explain how the money will be redirected to communities still awaiting assistance.

The party's call for greater accountability extends to school rehabilitation, following the Ministry of Education's disclosure that 144 of 308 Priority One schools had been restored, at a cost of $9.19 billion.

The figures were highlighted in a full-page advertisement published in the October 25 edition of The Sunday Gleaner by the ministry and the National Education Trust (NET), featuring before-and-after photographs of rehabilitated schools.

However, the PNP questioned the absence of a comprehensive public dashboard that Education Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon reportedly promised in July.

The party said the minister had announced plans to publish and update information fortnightly on schools undergoing repairs, contractors, project costs and expected completion dates.

While acknowledging that NET had released reports categorising schools by priority, the Opposition said Jamaicans still needed an accessible, regularly updated register detailing the rehabilitation status of every hurricane-damaged school.

It argued that such a platform would allow parents, communities and taxpayers to monitor progress, while also providing transparency for Jamaicans at home and abroad, businesses and organisations contributing to NET's Adopt-A-School initiative.

The PNP said the country was entitled to a detailed account of recovery expenditure, completed projects, outstanding work and the resources still needed.

It stressed that accountability should extend beyond the amount spent to include how the funds were used, what they had achieved and whether assistance was reaching the people most in need.

The party said Jamaicans deserved a full account of the recovery effort, rather than selective photographs and scattered reports.

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