Bishop Herro Blair, the Political Ombudsman, says the practice of buying votes was threatening the country's democracy and that he would be strongly advocating for the enactment of a campaign finance law after the general election.

In an interview with The Sunday Gleaner on Friday, Bishop Blair said it was disturbing to see the huge sums of money being spent to buy votes, a pattern he said that was widespread in constituencies across the island.

"I don't think we have ever had a situation in our history where so much money is being spent in a political campaign," he said. "It is sad, however, that a lot of this money is being used to buy votes. This certainly cannot be good for our democracy. I will, in my report to Parliament after the elections, be making a strong argument for campaign financing which to me is the sensible way forward."

He points to other countries like the United States where strong laws governing campaign finance prevent the sort of abuses that happen locally.

In the United States, the Federal Election Commission (FECA) requires candidate committees, party committees and Public Action Committees (PAC) to file periodic reports disclosing the money they raise and spend. Candidates must identify, for example, all PACs and party committees that give them contributions, and they must identify individuals who give them more than $200 in a year.

Additionally, they must disclose expenditures exceeding $200 per year to any individual or vendor. The FECA also places limits on contributions by individuals and groups to candidates, party committees and PACs.

Bishop Blair did not say whether the buying of votes was being done across party lines or whether certain constituencies were specifically targeted.

Sources, however, told The Sunday Gleaner that "a lot of money" was being pumped "on the ground" by both the ruling People's National Party (PNP) and the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in constituencies, which are considered marginal, with the hope of tipping the balance in their favour.

"It would be easy to blame the PNP because that's the party in power and in possession of state funds," one senior political source notes. "However this is not the case as the JLP is also actively involved in the buying of votes. Certain seats are being targeted and believe me when I say big money has been dropping -- voters in some of these areas are having a field day -- today they are PNP tomorrow they are JLP."

The Sunday Gleaner, on Friday, was taken on a tour of two such constituencies within the Corporate Area. Sources within both areas say that a large number of rental cars have been brought in for the sole purpose of "making the youths dem feel good" and for getting the votes on election day.

"It's a feel good factor," one source notes. "Give the key people in the areas access to cars and they will work for you all the way through the election. Give them some money to go with that and they will actively recruit the votes too. The danger here is that these people don't really have any loyalty and nobody knows what they will do when they go behind that voting booth. For the time being though, the spending frenzy continues."

Asked where the money was coming from to fund such missions, the source notes that "both parties have their fair share of wealthy supporters. Money is not a problem for both parties," he said.

"The PNP may have an edge in support but the gap is not as huge as some people would want to believe. Just look at the expensive ad campaign going on. In some cases the JLP is out-spending the PNP. The only way out of this is for the country to have strict campaign finance laws where the source of contributions can be known. That's the only way we will ever have a level playing field and where the smaller parties can have a say."

The need for a political campaign finance law has been a topic for much debate locally.Þ The debate has, however, been heightened recently with reports that both the JLP and the PNP were being flooded with money from deep pocket contributors.

Officials of both parties have regularly insisted that they would have no problem supporting campaign financing, saying that it would be in the interest of the country.

They have also denied deliberately accepting money from "unscrupulous sources" to fund campaigns, saying that contributions, before accepted, "are carefully screened".

"We would want to know the source of a large donation," PNP General Secretary Maxine Henry-Wilson said. "If it's not something we are comfortable with we would not accept it." Her counterpart in the JLP, Dr. Ken Baugh, said his party has always been transparent in its fundraising affairs and at all times seek in operate in a very professional and forthright way."

For Bishop Blair though, the proof remains in the pudding. "Action speaks louder than words," he said.