We understand the desire of Bruce Golding, the Opposition Leader, to squeeze as much political value as possible out of the Trafigura affair.

We also agree with his demand for clear answers from the Government on whether the equivalent of J$31 million paid by the Dutch company into a Jamaican bank account was really a contribution to the governing People's National Party (PNP) or a kickback to ministers of government or other high officials.

Indeed, we have in these columns called on Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller to come clean and let the chips fall where they will. If Colin Campbell, the fallen minister and PNP general secretary and/or other officials have more to answer for than political misjudgement, then so be it.

But while we believe, like Mr. Golding, that the Trafigura matter should be carried to its logical conclusion, we do not accept, unlike the Opposition Leader, that this should be to the exclusion of other immediate matters of governance. Both can run on parallel tracks at the same time.

Which is why we are disappointed with the Opposition's decision in Parliament on Tuesday to withdraw from debating a bill on political campaign funding, drafted by independent member Abe Dabdoub, until the Electoral Commission makes proposals to the legislature.

This matter of political party and election campaign financing is not new; it has been a subject of debate, at varying levels of intensity, over many years. In recent times, it gained currency because of fear over the possibility of narco-money flowing into the political process and that drug dealers could, by proxy, buy their way to power. Indeed, Mr. Golding's predecessor as leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) raised that concern during an internal election.

It is in that context that Mr. Dabdoub tabled his bill in the House in May, ahead of the session at which the Electoral Advisory Committee coaxed a broad consensus between the PNP and JLP on the subject. The Trafigura scandal clearly gives new urgency to this matter, unless we misread the public mood and the meaning of the declarations of organisations such as the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica.

Mr. Golding, however, believes that the real purpose of a parliamentary debate on Mr. Dabdoub's bill at this time is to "deflect attention" from the Trafigura affair. He, therefore, wants the matter to wait until the Electoral Commission digests the agreement between the parties and drafts its recommendations before getting started. What is to be looked at, we feel, is the substance of Mr. Dabdoub's bill, not his personality.

If either of the major parties does not want it to happen, there can be no serious debate on party financing and legislative regulation before the next general election. In the interim, the big bucks would flow from the anonymous purchasers of influence and power.

Debate on the bill, of course, while it must be completed with speed, can be too hurried. The draft has to go to a parliamentary committee, to which various stakeholders would make presentations. The earlier we start, therefore, the better. The Electoral Commission would be very influential, but it can't, for this very critical matter, be the sole arbiter.

As for Mr. Golding's concerns, Jamaicans are quite capable of walking in a straight line and chewing gum at the same time.