KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Daryl Vaz, has dismissed claims made by the People’s National Party (PNP), accusing the Government of using state funds for political campaigns, particularly in the St Mary South Eastern by-election.

Vaz, who is also the Portland Western member of Parliament, said the constant complaining by the PNP is an indicator that things are not going in their favour in St Mary South Eastern.

“This administration has repeatedly stated that none of it’s government projects are geared towards vote buying and we are being proven right. Based on the processes that will have to take place before the project takes place,” Vaz stated in a release.

The minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) stated that the Tourism Enhancement Fund’s (TEF’s) funding of the All-Island Maintenance Program through the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) is not an election ploy, particularly since it has been going since 2007.

Vaz stated that the application for the ‘bulky waste material removal’ from the NSWMA was received on September 22 and that the TEF project’s committee was presented with the project at their monthly meeting today.

He went on to clarify that the project will now be presented to the TEF board of directors, who usually meet on the third Wednesday of each month. However, given that the TEF will be having it’s annual planning retreat on the 27th and 28th of October; the decision was taken to have the board meeting on the 28th during the retreat, the release added.

Based on the timeline, Vaz explained that the project would definitely fall outside the by-elections.

“We have not sough to have the project fast tracked or to accelerate the process of approval because the projects of this administration have absolutely nothing to do with the any by-election, as we have consistently been saying;” he declared.