The Editor, Sir:

When P.J. Patterson announced his retirement from a long career in active politics, and needed to define his legacy of achievements, one of the things he did was to increase the NHT benefits. At the time the loan ceiling was moved from $1 million per applicant to $3 million per applicant, subject to conditions of the NHT. I also recall the NHT under Patterson's administration making $5 billion available to fund an education initiative by the Government.

Soon after Portia took the reins of government, she turned to the NIS to fund loans for small business. Now with an election approaching, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, in an attempt to sweeten the lips for prospective home owners, has again turned to the NHT to offer increased benefits.

Offering housing solutions

The NHT, since its inception, has done a great deal to offer housing solutions to persons from all walks of life - rich, middle-class and poor. This is an institution that we need to protect. I am wary about the current trend developing of using institutions like the NHT and NIS to increase political advantage.

I believe that contributors to the NHT should receive as much benefit as possible, and that the NHT terms regarding loans should be revised periodically to keep in line with inflation and other factors in the industry. I personally would prefer if announcements about increased NHT benefits came from the NHT board than from a Minister or Prime Minister in Parliament. I also believe that any increased benefits to contributors should be on the recommendation of the NHT board rather than the Government executive.

Massive spending

In the run-up to the 2002 elections, there was massive spending by statutory bodies like NHT, running full page advertisements in the media. I am convinced, based on the tone of those advertisements and their timing, that this was a government using the funds of statutory institutions to its advantage in an election year - a surreptitious campaign.

I wish to remind politicians that funds such as NIS and NHT do not belong to the Government, and these funds are not available to them at their will. Contributions to NHT and NIS are under special schemes to be used only for their intended purpose.

I hope that this is the last of the electioneering we will see as it relates to statutory bodies, especially NHT, and I will be watching closely to see the full page newspaper advertisements as an indication of elections being near.

I am, etc.,

DAVID STEPHENS

danthonystephens@yahoo.com

Kingston 6

Via Go-Jamaica