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Re: It's the Media's Fault
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Yard Guard
If this continues . . .
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Nov 25 03 6:47 PM
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. . people, JAMAICA will get somewhere, sooner than we think.
www.jamaica-gleaner.com/g...lead1.html
'Let's talk' - PM tells Seaga to resume Vale Royal dialogue
published: Tuesday | November 25, 2003
By Garwin Davis, Assistant News Editor
ACKNOWLEDGING THAT Government is concerned about the electoral system being contaminated by illicit funding, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has agreed to meet with the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to discuss campaign financing.
Mr. Patterson was responding to a letter he received last week from Opposition Leader Edward Seaga requesting "bilateral talks" to discuss the controversial topic.
But, while agreeing to the meeting, the Prime Minister, however, chided the Opposition for what he called the party's penchant for "sporadic meetings, which are restricted to periods and issues that are highlighted by special occasions and particular incidents.
"Had not our Vale Royal talks been abruptly terminated, we would by now have reached that point where matters of this kind would have arisen and been addressed in the natural course of ongoing dialogue," Mr. Patterson said.
"As you will readily appreciate, there would have to be some body charged with the invigilation of campaign financing. The time has come, after more than 25 years, to move the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC) into an Electoral Commission. This, in turn, is obviously linked to other areas of Constitutional Reform."
In his letter to Mr. Patterson, Mr. Seaga said: "The time is appropriate, I believe, for us to discuss the issue to determine whether bilateral talks should be initiated between the People's National Party and the Jamaica Labour Party to ascertain what common ground exists for further action."
Mr. Seaga's request came following days of internal squabbling among JLP officials after the Opposition Leader had alleged on national radio that "tainted money" was used in the race for deputy leaders at the recent JLP conference.
Mr. Seaga, who would later retract the statement, has since appointed an internal committee to examine campaign financing, comprising party treasurer Christopher Bovell, deputy treasurer Shirley Williams, Senator Dr. David Panton and Andrew Holness.
Mr. Seaga, seven months ago, had threatened to end all form of co-operation with the Govern-ment following what he said was the Prime Minister's failure to sanction Finance Minister Dr. Omar Davies for comments made at a PNP constituency conference.
DAVIES' FAUX PAS
Dr. Davies had admitted to approving the spending on projects during the run-up to last year's general election even though he knew it would later affect the Budget. At the time of Mr. Seaga's threat, both the Opposition and the Government were engaged in critical talks at the Prime Minister's Vale Royal residence.
Addressing journalists at a press conference at the Terra Nova Hotel in St. Andrew, yesterday, the Prime Minister said his views on campaign financing are well-known and documented, noting that he has always insisted that his party stay away from illicit funding.
"We also have a specific prohibition from taking money from sources that are known or reasonably suspected to be tainted," Mr. Patterson said.
"This is something we decided on during our retreat over the weekend and which has been endorsed by our National Exe-cutive Council. If we have any evidence or credible information that money is taken from such a donor then that person will be subjected to disciplinary action from the party."
To Mr. Seaga, he said: "In responding positively to your endeavour to ascertain whether common ground exists for further action on campaign financing, I go further to propose the resumption of bilateral discussions to give urgent and conclusive attention, not confined to this subject only, but to the wider questions, which we had identified earlier in our Vale Royal discussions. To this end, I hereby propose an agenda and a timetable for our joint consideration and approval."
Hey PC, hope yu manage fi heng on pon two a dem turkey deh. . the one a top look very jamaican! Wha happen those blue on' at bottom are supposed to be 'merican?
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