Above: Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaica must develop a culture that supports transparency and disclosure, according to Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Holness also said he was in favour of disclosing the financing of political parties, but that such laws would mean the state would have to finance political party campaigns.

“Once we go that route of disclosure, the argument has been placed on the table that financing of campaigns, the cost of campaigns, will become unbearable on the political parties because they will not be able to raise the funds to do it,” he said. “In accepting disclosure, in accepting limits, in accepting transparency, the flip side of the argument is that the state is also to accept the responsibility of providing the funding.”

The government has brought several anti-corruption initiatives to pParliament, including the passing of the Special Prosecutor Bill, a bill to criminalize persons who corrupt government contracts and the adoption of campaign finance laws, among others.

Holness was speaking at the launch of the non-governmental organisation, National Integrity Action Limited at the University of the West Indies.