MONTEGO BAY, St James – A lack of funds has forced the cash-strapped National Democratic Movement (NDM) to call off plans to contest the upcoming local government elections, which is expected to be held by year-end.

According general secretary of the party, Michael Williams, the organisation is broke and efforts to secure funding from the private sector have been unsuccessful.

“Right now we don’t have the resources so we have decided that as a party we will not contest, but if there are individuals who want to contest then we are not going to stop them,” Williams told the Observer yesterday.

The party has never contested a local government election since it was formed in 1995. It has, however, contested the last three general elections.

In the September 3 national polls which was won by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), the NDM fielded 11 candidates but failed to win a seat in the 60-member House of Parliament.

Meanwhile, the NDM general secretary has lauded the Bruce Golding-led government for its announced intentions to improve governance and management of the country’s affairs.

He cited the government’s plan to give more voice to the Opposition in the Parliament; to put greater emphasis on Early Childhood education; to improve the justice system and to implement free tuition, as “a step in the right direction”.

“For the time being he (Golding) has been going in the right direction. I am very optimistic that they (government) are going to do the right thing, based on their pronouncements,” Williams said.

“A lot of us in the NDM believe that it is not about party it is about country, so any group that implements the NDM policies will please us,” he added.