The governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) enters its 83rd annual conference on Sunday against the backdrop of concern that it has a communication problem.

Last Thursday, that anxiety was highlighted in a blunt, public admission by one of its senior members, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Delroy Chuck in an address at the commissioning service for justices of the peace (JPs) at Lighthouse Assembly at Garbally Drive in Spanish Town, St Catherine.

Chuck spoke to the issue against the backdrop of members of the party having been forced in recent weeks to focus attention on deflecting and correcting what they deem to be lies and misinformation circulating in the public space, particularly on social media, about the Government.

A war of words has erupted between senior members of the Government and deejay Beenie Man following controversial remarks he made in the British media about how Hurricane Melissa relief money has been handled. Several other entertainers have since taken sides with Beenie Man.

“The challenge the Government has is one of communication; how do you explain really complex matters to the people? It’s one thing to say, ‘Spend di money, man’ but the consequences [for doing so] are great,” Chuck argued. “How do we say to them, we have to spend within our means.”

He told the JPs that any family that spends more than it earns knows the consequences of doing so.

“Before you know it, the bank going to foreclose on everything; [the furniture company] come tek weh yuh furniture, the mortgage company come and tek weh yuh house. That’s the consequence for a family that spends more than what it earns, but it is even worse for the country because we could be downgraded, inflation could go out of sight, the dollar could go out of sight. You would see empty shelves before you know it because we wouldn’t have money to buy anything,” said Chuck.

According to the Chuck, “Governments have done it in the past, and we have seen the consequence.” He reiterated that “the real challenge for the Government is to ensure that we can explain to the people why we have to take tough decisions in order to move forward and to survive”.

Jamaica Observer sources say Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, the leader of the JLP, is expected to dedicate a portion of his speech at today’s annual conference in Montego Bay, St James, to do just that.

Chuck acknowledged that questions have been raised about the pace of recovery following Hurricane Melissa, which hit sections of the island in October 2025, and how the Administration has spent relief money. The Government has also been accused of reacting poorly to criticism. But Chuck hit back at people whose purpose, he said, is to tear the Government down.

“There are people on social media who’re trying to increase the misery index of the country. They misinform, they lie…[they say] the Government get money and tief it, all di ministers dem put di money inna dem pocket. Yuh see it on social media, enuh,” said an exasperated Chuck.

He argued that few countries have had to deal with two “greatest crises” like Jamaica has faced with the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Melissa. Regarding the pandemic, Chuck noted that the country “lost a huge amount of revenue and commercial activity”.

“Last year Melissa damaged a third of the island, the damage to the revenue and the economy is still being assessed,” he stated.

“We received donations of about US$1.4 million, and people say, ‘Weh di money deh?’ ” he said, referencing the now all-out war between the Government and Beenie Man, who has since penned a recording titled Weh Di Money Deh.

On Friday, Beenie Man, a known supporter of the Opposition People’s National Party, used colourful language to describe Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie. This, after McKenzie, while addressing the annual JLP West Kingston Constituency Conference on Thursday night took a jab at the entertainer declaring, “Dat deh record nah sell at all, nobody nah buy it.”

Suggesting that Beenie Man was seeking relevance, McKenzie said, “Yuh have a certain deejay, fi di last 20 years him cyaan mek a number one hit song. And all of a sudden, him cyaan mek it locally cause him nah say nutten. [So] him lef di shores of Jamaica an gone out deh go talk about ‘weh di money deh…Government hold on pon di money”.

Chuck sought to explain why much of the money was not utilised to provide relief, stating that, “We have to account for how the US$1.4 million was spent.” He pointed out that nearly $70 billion has been spent by the Government to fix schools, hospitals, and roads damaged by the hurricane. He also pointed to the nearly $20 billion being spent on the Restoration of Owner or Occupant Family Shelters (ROOFS) Programme, noting that this was separate from the more than US$6.5 billion the Government expects to spend through the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) to rebuild the country.

“That US$6.5 billion don’t start spend yet, enuh, but people are asking, ‘Weh di money?” said Chuck.

He lamented that the Government has failed to communicate its priorities, pointing out that Jamaicans living in the western end of the island, where the hurricane caused most damage, want their roofs fixed as a matter of urgency, while elsewhere, pothole-riddled roads are the greatest priority.

“There are others who say, ‘Spend di money, man, there’s misery.’ So how yuh spend di money?” Chuck asked. He posited that, “You can run wid it, you can borrow, or you can print money,” but warned that each choice has consequences.

“If you run wid it or yuh borrow or yuh print money…yuh feel good [in the moment]. Everybody say di Government great. Yuh doing a fantastic job for about a year or two and then after two years, dawg nyam wi supper. Inflation could be 20 or 50 per cent or [like in] the 1990s, 100 per cent. The dollar would move from $150 or $160 to $500. Can you imagine the consequence?”

He defended the Government for being fiscally prudent, arguing that, “If we were ever fiscally irresponsible the consequences are dire.” Chuck said if the Government started running huge budget deficits, “the rating agencies could downgrade us, and if they downgrade us then we would have to borrow money, not at single digit [interest] like we’re doing, but at double digit — 15 and 20 per cent. It would hurt us; the debt would climb from 67 [per cent of gross domestic product], where it is now, back up to 120 per cent”.

The senior minister said the Government has been trying its best to be fiscally prudent while asking Jamaicans to “bear as much as possible the inconvenience, the discomfort”.