Opposition says PM must take responsibility for ODPEM's shortcomings

 

The parliamentary opposition says Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness must take full responsibility for the failure of the Ooffice of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) to distribute more than $1 billion in donations for victims of Hurricane Melissa. 

 

Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis has revealed that up to April, ODPEM had spent only $26 million or 1.8 per cent of the $1.44 billion that was donated to assist Jamaicans devastated by the Category 5 storm, which hit the country on October 28, 2025. 

 

But ODPEM argues that the low rate of cash expenditure reflects its prudent financial management in light of the availability of almost $400 million in donated building materials and sundries, which were already supporting the

government-directed roof repair programme. 

 

In an interview with Radio Jamaica News, Dr. Angela Brown Burke, Opposition Spokesperson on Social Protection and Social Transformation, said a lack of leadership has led to the failure of the agency to distribute the funds to the hurricane victims. 

 

Dr. Brown Burke also pointed to the underspending of money for victims of Hurricane Beryl which struck on July 3, 2024, adding that political interference played a role in the matter. 

 

"$1.4 billion and all you're able to spend is $26 million. I find that, honestly, it boggles the mind.... Almost $139 million from Beryl...still unspent. I believe that this is a sign of a crisis in leadership and at the highest level. The Prime Minister took responsibility for ODPEM. He said that he was moving ODPEM in his office and all these things to make sure it works. And I don't want nobody come tell me about no procurement. It is a crisis in leadership, and I believe that those who have responsibility...starting with the Prime Minister, need to give account for this," she demanded.

  

Dr. Brown Burke also called for ODPEM to shed light on the distribution of millions of dollars in food items donated for hurricane victims. 

 

"Can someone tell us about the number of food stuff received and how much of that was actually distributed, and how much of that had to be dumped? Can we get that information? Because I believe that information is going to be very, very similar to what we are hearing now," she argued.