Clarke

ALTHOUGH bracing itself for possible by-elections or even a snap general election this year, the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) is in no position to finance a political campaign.

The party's coffers are bare and its accounts are is in the red, and treasurer Roger Clarke, says the party is indebted to the tune of $50 million.

The 70-year-old PNP has been relying on the goodwill of members to help meet overheads such as its utility bills.

"It is kind of difficult to function, but it is not insurmountable. Hopefully, we can dig ourselves out of this sometime soon," Clarke tells The Sunday Gleaner. He says the PNP has been taking steps to improve its financial position. Members of Parliament, for example, contribute 10 per cent of their salary to the party's coffers. Councillors also contribute to the party from their monthly salary.

"It is a sticky situation, but it is not something that we have not been able to work our way out of. We have to find a way to see how, within our own capabilities, what we can do to raise some funds. Those of us who are a little more endowed will have to come up with something to help," Clarke says.

The Trafigura fiasco has not helped the party, as, according to Clarke, "with all the scare about Trafigura, nobody wants to come forth with any kind of contribution, lest their names be called."

He adds: "In a wider sense, it would have an impact on not only the PNP, but all political parties," Clarke argues.

Financial misfortunes

The governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), meanwhile, is not experiencing the same financial misfortunes that now befall the PNP. According to JLP general secretary, Karl Samuda, "The JLP is a party well managed and is in fairly good state (financially)"

Gleaner pollster Bill Johnson has said that the PNP may have paid the political price for a controversial transaction involving Trafigura Beheer, a Dutch firm that was contracted to trade high-grade Nigerian crude on Jamaica's behalf. The transaction involved $31 million that was sent by Trafigura to an account belonging to then party general secretary, Colin Campbell.

The scandal led to the resignation of Campbell as information minister and general secretary. Furthermore, the PNP's favourability rating dropped after the scandal broke and the party never recovered. It eventually lost the September 2007 general election.

In that campaign, the Jamaica Labour Party, which won 32 of the 60 parliamentary seats to form the government, played on the fact that PNP President Portia Simpson Miller had insisted that she would not allow the PNP to be in anybody's pocket.

After the party lost the election, it claimed it had been outspent by the JLP in the region of 6:1, a claim the JLP has denied.

"The last election would have bled everything out of the party. We were outspent significantly," the PNP's Clarke states.

Jamaicans could return to the polls this year in some con-stituencies. A by-election may be forced in West Portland if Chief Justice Zailia McCalla decides to strip the JLP's Daryl Vaz of the seat and rule that fresh elections should take place there.

Vaz has been accused by the PNP's Abe Dabdoub of having pledged or held allegiance to the United States of America. The submissions in the case have been completed and if Vaz is found to be in breech of the Constitution, the chief justice could either hand the seat to Dabdoub or order a fresh election.

Fraud

A by-election could also take place in North East St Elizabeth, which Member of Parliament Kern Spencer represents. Spencer has been charged with fraud, money laundering and corruption. A resignation or conviction could force a by-election there.

Political parties, however, could soon be less pressured to find money for election purposes as the Electoral Commission of Jamaica is advocating legislation for the financing of political campaigns from the public purse.