KINGSTON, Jamaica – People’s National Party Spokesperson on Culture and Creative Industries, Deborah Hickling Gordon, is calling on the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport to disclose the full budgeted and projected costs associated with the 2025 National Independence celebrations.

In a release on Tuesday, the party shared that parish galas will be held in all parishes across the country. It  noted that given that there has been no disclosure of costs incurred to stage last year’s Grand Gala, the public has a right to know how their tax dollars are being spent.

“The PNP fully supports the celebration of our nation’s Independence and joins with the nation in recognising the importance of national unity and cultural expression.  Our culture plans include greater immersion of the JCDC and its programmes in communities islandwide.  Transparency and accountability must not be sacrificed to this end. As a nation of independent people, we should be moving our sector in this direction,” Hickling Gordon said.

The Opposition is calling for a breakdown of:

• the total budget allocated by the Ministry for Independence 2025 events;
• the cost of staging each parish gala and other associated events;
• the procurement process for related contracts and services and
• any additional funding provided through private sector partnerships or other government ministries/agencies.

“With the country still recovering from economic shocks and many citizens facing hardship, Jamaicans deserve clarity on public expenditure, especially during a politically sensitive period,” the spokesperson continued. “It is critical that cultural programmes are not used for political advantage, but rather to genuinely uplift communities and support our creative economy.”

Hickling Girdon said the PNP will, when it assumes office following the general election, revise processes and procedures regarding the transparency of contracting and procurement of goods and services for major state sponsored events including the Grand Gala.

“A competitive process including a request for proposals (RFP),  both creative and financial, will be issued in the year prior to the Gala.  This will allow for transparency, increase planned preparation and prevent the rush of the last minute preparations that are reported each year,” she said.

According to her, the process will also include a caveat to ensure that the intellectual property of teams submitting proposals is protected.  “The fear and risk of submitting ideas that are assumed without compensation has remained a fear of creative practitioners for many years,”  Hickling Gordon said, adding that the process of issuing tickets for the event will also be reviewed.

The Opposition says it is urging the auditor general and the contractor general to remain vigilant in ensuring value for money in all State-sponsored cultural events and festivals.