Press Release From OPM - October, 30, 2026
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| The Most Honourable Dr Andrew Holness |
Prime Minister Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness says the perception that the Government is misusing public funds or failing to use taxpayers’ money appropriately is destructive to Jamaica.
Prime Minister Holness said this undermines confidence in the country’s institutions and potentially affects its ability to secure international support for affected citizens in times of need.
“We need to correct this false narrative that the government is somehow stealing the money or not using the money appropriately. It is very destructive to the image of the country,” he said.
Prime Minister Holness says the country must confront what he describes as a longstanding public mindset that “nothing nah gwaan," which has contributed to low expectations of government and a tendency to dismiss or doubt the delivery of public programmes.
Speaking today at a house handover under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) in St. Catherine, the Prime Minister said this outlook is rooted in Jamaica’s historical experience but must change if the country is to achieve sustained development.
He added that the expectation that the government cannot deliver has also influenced the country’s policy cycle, encouraging short-term interventions at the expense of programmes that require time to produce lasting results.
“The society can only change when the electorate changes the incentive for the political class. If the incentive for the political class is to deliver short-term benefit because that satisfies the electorate, then you're in a short policy cycle, and you can't deliver big things in a short political cycle,” Dr. Holness explained.
The Prime Minister pointed to the NSHP as an example of the importance of sustained delivery and public accountability. He noted that some beneficiaries wait several years between applying for assistance and receiving a home, during which time they may lose confidence that the programme will deliver.
Importantly, Dr. Holness said the repeated public presentation of completed homes is deliberate, allowing citizens to see that public resources are being converted into tangible benefits. He described the programme as both an intervention that restores hope and an accountability mechanism through which the use of public funds can be demonstrated.
He said similar transparency is important in the delivery of hurricane grants, suggesting that making beneficiary lists accessible could help address public concerns about whether assistance is reaching intended recipients.
At the same time, the Prime Minister cautioned that unsubstantiated claims of public funds being stolen or misused have implications far beyond political debate, potentially undermining Jamaica’s international reputation and credibility.
“If there were to be another disaster, how would this falsehood play out in the international domain? People believe it's in their interest. It is not in your interest for an untruth of this nature to stand. There is nobody who is going to put up their money in sympathy for Jamaica because we had a hurricane, unless they believe that the systems in Jamaica are institutionally strong. And if we ourselves go and tear that down, then that's it,” he explained.
Prime Minister Holness said greater communication, visibility, and public understanding of how government programmes operate are necessary to correct misconceptions and rebuild confidence.
“The country needs a re-education. And it is my job as the leader of the country to lead that re-education,” the Prime Minister said.
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Editor's Note
Jamaica has some evil people who are located on the island and overseas. They enjoy tearing down Jamaica to get another party into power. They are traitors and are very dangerous. They have no love for the poor people who live here. We have to live with and support any party democratically elected by the people.
Those artistes who have made millions with support from poor Jamaicans and from people overseas who support reggae and brand Jamaica live mainly in other countries. They don't have to stay in Jamaica when they have destroyed our country with their serpent tongues.
These people have committed treason. People like Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff, who helped to create an international path for these artistes, have never done such evil things to their country.
Jamaicans must condemn these people and stop sharing their social media posts. Like our former colonial masters, they profit from the sacrifices of our Jamaican people.
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How is it treasonous to call out corruption? This government gave billions to rebuild churches, prioritizing these places of perfidy and human exploitation, while real human beings had no homes, had to rely on the charity of intrnational organizations to eat, schools remained unrepaired and the police stations and hospitals remain a filthy joke, to say nothing of the dirty, derelict markets and town centers whre real people buy food and do business on a daily basis. . Perhaps Dr. Holness should spend more time ensuring that real people in the country get help and none on propping up charlatans who manipulate and add to human misery by demanding special privileges for themselves based on the lie that there is a flying white man in the sky and they have a special relationship with him; and less on attacking patriotic Jamaicans who actually want Jamaica to do and be better?! Imagine if the state spent this amount of energy actually helping actual human beings? This despot thinks he and the corrupt politicians here are above criticism. Do actual work. Change social and economic conditions for the MAJORITY of Jamaicans. That will silence critics. Methinks Dr. Holness doth protest too much.
ReplyDeleteI think it is okay to ask for more to be done without calling out corruption when you have no evidence. It is dangerous to do things like that because like the boy who cried wolf, wolf when there was none, we will make it more difficult to get aid in the future. It is better to say the government is moving too slow or even to say that the government is not prioritizing the right beneficiaries. But, to continuously claim corruption without evidence is cutting off our nose to spite our face.
DeleteThere is plenty of evidence of corruption among the ruling class here. How do you suppose that ordinary citizens acquire proof of the misuse of State funds when the thieves control the economy and all the levers of power here? If it walks and talks like a corrupt, right-wing, anti-Afrikan dictatorial duck, what should we suppose it is?
ReplyDelete