Daraine Luton, Senior Staff Reporter

THE PROPOSED legislation to deal with campaign financing for political parties will not be tabled in the House of Representatives this legislative year.

Phillip Paulwell, the Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives, told The Gleaner last week that the Government intends to first table a bill for the registration of political parties during this parliamentary year before considering a similar bill on campaign financing.

"Campaign financing will come in the next legislative year," Paulwell said.

Paulwell told The Gleaner that the report has been sent to both major political parties for their consideration.

"We sent it back to both political parties. I know the PNP has done its review and it has put forward its views. I did not check to see of the JLP has done so, but we are moving to get a Cabinet submission now for the drafting instructions," Paulwell said.

However, South West St Catherine Member of Parliament Everald Warmington said his understanding is that the report should have been sent to the ECJ for adjustment and then sent back to Parliament for consideration.

"The way it was sent to us was as if the ECJ was giving us orders. It had instructions to Parliament and I objected to that," Warmington told The Gleaner.

During the debate on the report, Warmington declared that he would not be bounded by a convention in which the Parliament normally rubber-stamps reports from the ECJ.

"There are areas in the report that I am prepared to go along with, that I can accept, but there are areas there that I don't believe I could ever support. I believe that my constitutional right and my position in this House supersedes any -supersedes any convention there is. And we are not to blindly continuously accept positions because of convention," Warmington said in parliament.

But Paulwell said "when it (party financing matter) comes back to Parliament it will be in the form of a bill".

Warmington, however, feels that should not be the case.

"It can't come back in the form of a bill because we did not approve the stuff. It has to be adjusted and sent back to us, it cant come back in the form of a bill."

He added: "It can't be sent to parties and then from parties it goes to being a bill."

The House on April 10 last year approved the report with the caveat that the "Electoral Commission of Jamaica takes note of the comments and concerns of Members of this Honourable House in the debate which took place today and consider these recommendations in their preparation of drafting instructions in finalising the legislation".

Parliamentary schedule this week

• Tuesday 2 p.m. Sitting of the House of Representatives
• Wednesday 10 a.m. Public Administration & Appropriations Committee (PAAC)