By Vernon Daley, Staff ReporterNATIONAL SECURITY Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips, has warned that the island's political system is in danger of being corrupted by drug dealers and other persons involved in illegal activities.
The Minister said the attempt by unscrupulous persons to put a death grip on the island's politics was a grave threat that could only be overcome by the steely resolve of those who were the custodians of the political system.
"There is a clear and present danger to our political process... if we ignore it, we ignore it to our peril," the Minister told his colleagues in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
Dr. Phillips made the comments during a debate on the Electoral Advisory Committee's report to Parliament. The report, which recommended tougher fines for electoral malpractices, was approved by the House and will now be sent to the Cabinet for consideration.
The link between drug money and political candidates was first raised by Government MP Donald Buchanan (South West St. Elizabeth) during his contribution to the debate. According to him, there are drug traders in Jamaica who are attempting to use their power to control political candidates.
"This matter of funding is very important and we must not ignore the need to put in place the legislation and the systems to protect our political process from the intrusion from illegal money, and especially drug money," he said.
He charged that there was an influx of $5 million into his constituency three days before the elections to support the campaigns of his political opponents.
Jamaica Labour Party MP Audley Shaw (North East Manchester) noted that the international community, including the country's creditors, has expressed serious concerns about the link between drug money and local politics.
Making his contribution to the debate, Mr. Shaw suggested that the awarding of Government contracts was being contaminated by drug money.
"The contract award process in certain areas of the administration of this country has been taken over by persons of illegal reputation that are involved in illegal activities including the drug trade," he said in response to Mr. Buchanan's charges.
However, Minister Phillips cautioned that the matter should not be politicised because it cut across party lines and had the potential to harm the interest of the entire country.
"This is not something on which we should divide along partisan lines. The entreaty and the efforts to suborn the political process are not confined to any one side," he said.
According to the Minister, the issue of how we finance the political process is something that needs to be urgently addressed.
Recently, Leader of Government Business in the Senate, Burchell Whiteman, announced that a task force will be set up within the next few months to study the issue of state funding for political parties.
Last July, the Senate approved a resolution calling for the commission. The resolution, brought by Senator Trevor Munroe, highlighted the threat to the island's democracy posed by private interests who seek to influence politicians through donations.
