Holness: Every dollar will be accounted for
Published:Tuesday | November 18, 2025 | 12:11 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness is seeking to assure Jamaicans and international partners that all Hurricane Melissa recovery funds will be strictly monitored, insisting there will be no waste, mismanagement or political interference.
Speaking during a CARICOM leaders’ tour of devastated communities in Whitehouse, Westmoreland, on Monday, Holness said the scale of Jamaica’s damage demands disciplined, transparent management of all relief funding, whether from multilateral agencies, foreign governments or domestic resources.
“Yes, we will spend to relieve human suffering,” Holness said. “But every dollar spent will be accounted for. Not just from an accounting point of view – adding up dollars spent – but from an efficiency point of view. Every dollar, every aid package, every commitment made must quickly advance the recovery.”
The prime minister said Jamaica’s reputation for fiscal discipline, built over more than a decade of tough economic reforms, has helped the country rapidly attract multilateral support after the Category 5 system tore through five parishes.
“One of the reasons we are able to galvanise the multilateral community is because of the sacrifice and great effort we have collectively made to ensure fiscal responsibility is part of our political culture,” he said. “We will use international resources and our own taxes, in the smartest, most frugal way.”
SIGNIFICANT DISASTER
Holness said Jamaica is dealing with one of the most significant disasters in its modern history, with approximately 150,000 homes destroyed, nearly 900,000 people impacted, and early estimates pointing to US$8 billion in physical damage.
“It is regretful that after working so hard to bring our debt down towards 60 per cent of GDP, we now face a situation where half the country’s infrastructure has been devastated,” Holness said. “We must spend on relief and recovery while dealing with lost revenues. Our financial situation is of great concern and must be managed carefully.”
The prime minister acknowledged that moments like these often lead to heightened demands for rapid and unrestricted spending, but insisted that his administration would resist “temptations for profligacy”.
“We must maintain discipline even in disaster,” he said.
Holness added that all recovery spending will be guided by three principles: efficiency, ensuring funds are used for the highest-impact needs; integrity, guaranteeing that aid reaches those most affected; and speed, to move families into safer conditions before Christmas.