THE Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) is again accusing the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) of using State funds to influence the outcome of the October 30 by-election in St Mary South Eastern.

PNP Chairman Fitz Jackson, during a press conference called by the party at Gordon House yesterday, accused the Government of raiding the Tourism Enhancement Fund’s (TEF) coffers of $29.75 million to finance the removal of “bulky waste” and the removal of illegal dump sites in St Mary South Eastern and other north-eastern constituencies.

Jackson presented journalists with a letter, supposedly written by National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) Executive Director Audley Gordon to TEF Executive Director Dr Carey Wallace, requesting the funds to remove waste material in communities in St Ann, St Mary and Portland.

The letter said the NSWMA has identified the urgent need to reduce the impact of flooding through the removal of illegal dump sites in the parishes.

“Flooding can be devastating, and the elimination of activities that can result in such a disaster, especially during this active hurricane season, is critical,” the letter, dated September 22, 2017, read.

A project proposal attached to the letter said 54 communities are to benefit and that all activities under the project are expected to be completed within 10 days of beginning.

The money, the proposal said, is to pay workers and cover the hiring of haulage vehicles and heavy equipment.

Of the 23 communities to benefit from the project in St Mary, 13 are located in St Mary South Eastern.

The constituency has been thrown into the spotlight following the sudden death of PNP Member of Parliament Dr Winston Green in August. Green won the seat by a mere five votes in parliamentary elections last year.

Since then, there has been heavy campaigning by both major political parties for the rural seat, which would increase the Government’s majority by three, should it win, giving Prime Minister Andrew Holness more breathing room in the Lower House. Currently, the Government holds 32 seats to the Opposition’s 31.

“It is of note that of the $29.7 million identified, almost $10 million is to be spent in South East St Mary alone, and an additional $4 million in the bordering constituency of West Portland,” Jackson pointed out.

The St Catherine Southern MP said his party has spent the last two weeks warning about the use of State funds to “buy votes” in the by-election.

He said since this warning, several projects have surfaced and are at varying stages of implementation, allegedly without the knowledge of either the St Mary Municipal Corporation or the National Works Agency.