By Glenda Anderson, Staff Reporter 
Whiteman (left) and Munroe (right)
HEIGHTENED CONTROVERSY over the source of funding of the campaign of at least one of the deputy leaders of the Jamaica Labour Party in its recent internal elections, has renewed calls for tighter monitoring of financing for political parties.
The matter is to be put to Cabinet "as early as next week," the Government's Information Minister, Senator Burchell Whiteman, said on Friday.
Mr. Whiteman said the issue had been raised on several occasions, and admitted that the People's National Party Policy Review Commission had missed its deadline to address it.
But recent developments may have jump-started the process.
"That (attention to the resolution) was awaiting a push and this may very well be it," Minister Whiteman said. "Right now it's very live and certainly at the level of the party. We will shortly be completing our examination," he said.
Senator Trevor Munroe also pointed to the current controversy as a welcome catalyst. "Obviously the matter was important and urgent when I raised it first but more so now it requires action along the lines of establishing a commission," he said.
A RESOLUTION
Last March the Senate debated and passed a resolution brought by Senator Munroe calling for the establishment of a broad-based commission, "as a matter of urgency" to look at ways of regulating and funding political parties.
The commission was to include "representatives of political parties, the private sector and civil society, to examine and make recommendations on appropriate legislation including provisions for regulating and publicly funding political parties, to combat corruption arising from private financing of
political parties and election campaigns."
The resolution requested a time frame for the establishment of the commission, and requested reasons it were rejected.
The resolution, which has been on the order paper of the Senate since last June, was moved by Senator Munroe against the background of what he insisted was the potential for corruption that is borne out of private funding of political parties.
In an earlier Gleaner report he highlighted his concern that there was "no system whatsoever in Jamaica for regulating money in politics and for dealing with contributions to parties and electioneering."
But even as the resolution did not receive much attention, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, in a public address last year, said the issue was one the country could no longer ignore.
"The question of campaign financing for the future is something that this country is going to have to face. We have never ventilated it as a public issue before and therefore it could not be introduced for this (last general election) campaign, but I don't think it can be avoided forever.
"Certainly at the central party level we have instituted a rule that requires first of all, donations above a certain size to be brought to central attention, including mine. This is with a view to permitting our being able to satisfy ourselves that that money is not flowing from tainted sources," Mr. Patterson said.
