A real-time audit conducted by Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis, published on May 12, revealed that up to April 2, over five months after Hurricane Melissa, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) had disbursed only $26.2 million, or 1.8 per cent, of the $1.44 billion in cash donations for hurricane victims. It was also disclosed that the balances included over $154 million in unspent donations collected in response to Hurricane Beryl, which primarily impacted the southern belt of the island on July 3, 2024.

The revelation has sparked widespread concern and indignation among Jamaicans. To many, the meagre share of funds allocated to hurricane victims is indefensible. Nevertheless, during Labour Day remarks at the Lewis Town Early Childhood Institution in St Elizabeth last week, Prime Minister Andrew Holness defended the unspent funds and rubbished criticism, asserting that “sometimes you have things that are common sense and things that are common nonsense”.

I find the prime minister’s comments to be dismissive, lacking in empathy, disingenuous, and insulting to Jamaicans. He asserted that the audit did not say the materials were stolen, but that there was “an administrative accounting failure”, and maintained that the Government “wasn’t being inefficient”, but was being “very strategic and very efficient”. However, the audit revealed that the issues were way more serious than ‘accounting failures’ and that the Government was far from being ‘efficient’ or ‘strategic’. It unearthed a slew of deficiencies, improprieties and irregularities, including weaknesses in financial management, governance, programme accountability, transparency and oversight. Inadequate controls over donations processed through a financial services institution, including the absence of a formal agreement for retained funds and incomplete reconciliation, were also highlighted. Regarding the ROOFS Programme, the audit identified gaps in supplier due diligence, delivery verification, payment support and completion documentation. Non-compliance with the Disaster Risk Management Act was also mentioned. The report found that ODPEM did not present information on the total amounts collected or the planned expenditure strategy for Hurricane Beryl, while stating that donation funds collected for disaster response are expected to be used promptly and transparently, in accordance with established expenditure plans and donor intent. So much for efficiency and strategy.