‘Political ads’ trigger concerns
Published:Friday | August 1, 2025 | 9:37 AM
Dr Christopher Charles, professor of political and social psychology at The University of the West Indies (UWI), has added his voice to concerns over the use of public resources to campaign for the upcoming general election.
Speaking with Radio Jamaica’s Dionne Jackson Miller on Beyond the Headlines yesterday, Charles indicated that taxpayers’ money spent on advertisements from the Office of the Prime Minister should go towards development work and not political campaigning.
“Where are the donors?” Charles questioned, even as he also queried whether the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) was getting financial backing from their regular political donors.
The senior lecturer at The UWI said this was the most active political business cycle he has ever seen.
“If the Government was confident and sure about its policy achievements, why the overactive political business cycle, where you now have to be using public funds to announce and do all kinds of things?” he asked.
Charles is also of the view that the Electoral Commission of Jamaica should review the issue and determine whether it is in breach of the campaign laws of the country.
Charles’ remarks follow sharp criticisms by Danielle Archer, principal director of National Integrity Action (NIA), over the alleged partisan misuse of public resources.
She referenced videos that have emerged on social media showing newly acquired school buses, funded by taxpayers to support national development, being used in political activities affiliated with the JLP.
In a news release yesterday, Archer also raised concern about what she said were government-sponsored advertisements, financed by state agencies, that are partisan political messaging disguised as government information.
“NIA is of the view that such actions amount to political messaging disguised as governance. They undermine institutional neutrality, corrode public trust, and distort the democratic landscape, especially as Jamaica remains in a pre-election period without an official election date being announced,” she said.
According to Archer, public assets, including school buses and government communication platforms, must serve all Jamaicans and not political interests.
She argued that this pattern raises serious concerns about breaches of Jamaica’s campaign finance laws, which expressly prohibit public bodies from contributing to political parties and candidates’ campaigns.
“These laws are essential for protecting fairness, transparency, and equal opportunity in the democratic process,” she added.
NIA called for the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ), in its capacity as political ombudsman, to investigate the use of publicly funded advertisements and assets for partisan purposes, following the Campaign Financing Regulations under the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act (2016).
Archer also wants the ECJ to enforce the statutory separation between governance and electioneering, especially in the pre-election period, where improper use of state resources may confer undue advantage to incumbents.
Desmond McKenzie, deputy leader of the JLP, during a recent political rally, said he has a right to inform the population about the achievements of his ministry as local government minister.
“It is my responsibility. PNP is not going to talk about it. And when we go out there to work, we don’t mix the politics with government work,” he said.
In a statement earlier this month, the People’s National Party alleged that the Holness-led administration was using government resources to fund what it described as “vulgar, self-serving political propaganda” disguised as public service announcements.