KINGSTON, Jamaica — The People’s National Party (PNP) has issued calls on the Political Ombudsman and the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) to “immediately” establish monitoring mechanisms to ensure that State funds are not corruptly used to influence the outcome of the pending by-elections in South Eastern St Mary.

Earlier today, sources confirmed that a by-election in the constituency to replace late PNP Member of Parliament Dr Winston Green is planned for November.

And the PNP in a release today, said there is recent evidence that during the last local government elections, the government implemented an $800 million de-bushing programme, which became the subject of an investigation by the OCG.

The PNP had accused the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP)-led government of using that programme to influence the outcome of the parish council elections.

The PNP said it has now received reports that several agencies, including the Parish Council and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries have started allocating resources such as fertilizer and other agriculture-based products to St Mary. The Opposition also said that a new bushing programme has started in South East St Mary.

“It is further alleged that resources which were earmarked for sections of Portmore and the wider St Catherine area, are being re-allocated to the parish of St Mary,” the PNP alleged in the release.

Meanwhile, Political Ombudsman Donna Parchment said she visited the constituency offices today and upon observation saw no issues.

“We were told by the PNP of possibilities of public work being given out for political purposes, but we’ve not observed that and we’re waiting to hear from Mr Robinson [PNP General Secretary Julian Robinson] where in particular he’s aware of that being done,” she told OBSERVER ONLINE.

Parchment noted that has not seen the PNP press release and was not able to comment on the matter specifically.

“If the PNP calls on us to look at anything or the JLP calls on us to look at anything obviously we will do just that,” Parchment commented.

Winston Green, who died suddenly on August 14 this year, defeated the JLP’s Dr Norman Dunn by a mere five votes in Parliamentary elections on February 25, 2016.

General Secretary of the JLP Dr Horace Chang confirmed in the media that Dunn has been retained as the party’s standard-bearer for the election.

The PNP recently selected former head of the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association Dr Shane Alexis to represent the party after former St Andrew East Rural MP Damion Crawford rejected the offer.