Melissa donation and distribution tracking system must be fully transparent, says PNP

Jamaica Gleaner | 2025-12-03 | Original Article

The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) says greater accountability is needed in the distribution of hurricane relief aid and called for the Government to ensure that its planned tracking system takes into account full transparency.

 

 

Information Minister Dr Dana Morris-Dixon today told a hurricane recovery press conference at Jamaica House that a system is to be rolled out over the next week or two to

 

allow the public to track Hurricane Melissa donations and distribution, amid concerns about fairness in the relief process.

 

 

The Opposition has questioned equity in aid delivery and the involvement of its members in coordinations, concerns that have been rejected by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness.

 

 

Morris-Dixon reiterated that the government has been fair in its relief activities and dismissed claims of partisanship.

 

 

“I've seen some preliminary data that shows that this notion of partisanship is actually very, very incorrect. It may be partisanship in the other direction,” Morris-Dixon said.

 

 

However, in a statement today, the PNP continued to accuse the Government of handling relief distribution in a partisan way.

 

 

PNP Chairman Dr Angela Brown Burke claimed that operatives aligned to the governing Jamaica Labour Party have been involved in distributing State resources.

 

 

She charged that such a situation is an unacceptable breach of good governance and only serves to fuel public distrust at a time when Jamaicans are already vulnerable and should be able to count on fairness, order and accountability.

 

 

That’s why the PNP wants the government to, among other things, include in the hurricane relief tracking system information on who delivered the relief supplies, when the supplies were dispatched, including detailed dates and times, where and when they were delivered, and the members of the team involved in the delivery.

 

 

Further, it also wants to know the names of shelters, community groups, churches, households, and other recipients who received donations, as well as proof of communication with the sitting Member of Parliament.

 

 

 

“The Government must demonstrate that the distribution of relief supplies can be transparently tracked and with details as indicated here,” said Brown Burke.

 

 

“The Opposition reiterates that Jamaicans deserve more than vague assurances. We demand full accountability, not after-the-fact reporting, selective disclosures nor cosmetic systems designed to obscure political misuse of State resources. Hurricane relief belongs to the people of Jamaica, not to any political party or its aligned operatives. The nation deserves clarity. The tracking system can help provide much-needed answers once the right data is collected,” she added.

 

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.

 

View the discussion thread.