MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Opposition Spokesman on Housing Mikael Phillips is calling for an investigation into the Guaranteed Purchase Programme (GPP) — a partnership between the National Housing Trust (NHT) and developers — which he claims is being politicised.

“I want to ask the contractor general, the Integrity Commission and the auditor general to look at that programme, because you have a development down in St Elizabeth that a developer built some [50] houses from 2019, collect whole heap a money and still cyaa deliver the houses,” Phillps told the People’s National Party’s Knockpatrick Divisional Conference in Manchester on Sunday.

“You have another development in St Ann; in 2020 they broke ground, developer collect money, and up to now not one house delivered,” he added.

Phillips said he intends to table questions in Parliament relating to the housing sector as he claimed there is political interference in developments.

“My investigation is telling me that this programme is for political [affiliates], giving them contracts to build houses. Guaranteeing the purchases and still can’t deliver houses to the people who need them most, there are other questions that need to be asked,” he stated.

“… Look at even Ruthven development, all when we warn dem against it dem still go ahead with it,” he added.

He said the Government has been tight-lipped on the St Andrew-based upscale development.

“We don’t even know what the cost of the whole development is; even months after that project was completed not one deggeh deggeh soul even move inside there. We have to now ask the question, ‘How much dem paying for security and maintenance for an empty building? How much NHT contributors can even be approved for this project that even the public sector organisations said it is too much for their members?’ ” he asked.

“The Jamaica Teachers’ Association, the nurses, not even Member of Parliament would qualify fi one a dem loan deh right yah now,” he charged.

Phillips said the operations at the NHT, launched in 1974 by former Prime Minister Michael Manley, are questionable.

“When I hear what is going on at the NHT right now, Michael Manley supposed to be turning in his grave,” he said.

“Less than 50 per cent of those who contribute to the NHT can get a benefit; and the majority of those who contribute to the NHT are poor people who are working, but dem can’t even get a house,” he added.

“The old policy document that was commissioned by the Prime Minister [Andrew Holness] seh the NHT needs to build 15,000 new houses per year, and the NHT is delivering under 4,000 houses per year. Then you nuh see sopm wrong and less people getting houses,” reasoned Phillips.