By Vernon Daley, Staff Reporter
POLITICIANS HAVE never been popular people. They perform a delicate balancing act in trying to satisfy various interests in society as they go about the business of administering the affairs of the state.
To many, politicians are the personification of corruption, dishonesty and deception. With that kind of stereotype it's a wonder that people still offer themselves for political office.
Many Jamaicans seem to feel that our politicians are of the worst kind. Every other ill that afflicts this troubled nation is laid at their feet. In many cases they deserve the reputation they have but there needs to be a mature debate in this country about what we expect from our politicians and the level of compensation we should offer them.
We have grown up on the notion that politicians are personal and national saviours. Consequently, they have to be taking on the problems of every little old lady that comes along. Members of Parliament, present and past, have complained bitterly about the functions they have to perform as political representatives. Delroy Chuck, MP for North East St. Andrew put it well in a recent column in The Gleaner, when he said: "It is sad, our people have become helpless and dependent, and the political representative is viewed primarily as a provider of social service, jobs, material goods and handouts.
"To be sure, he is responsible for repairing the roads, fixing utilities, cleaning gullies and empty lots, burying the indigent, feeding the poor, paying school fees, sponsoring fundraising events, organising community activities, providing sports facilities, protecting the vulnerable, giving legal advice, seeking medical attention, replacing old roofs and damaged houses, and generally dealing with the myriad problems overtaking his constituency. And when things go wrong, he is the first to get the blame."
But despite this excessively broad job description, we continue to pay our political representatives at peppercorn rates.
Recently there were reports in the local press that the salaries of MPs were set to increase by eight per cent in keeping with similar increases for civil servants over the two-year period 2002 to 2004.
The increase will push the salaries of MPs to $1.2 million per annum with an additional $400,000 for allowances. The Prime Minister will receive roughly $2.5 million; the Finance Minister $2 million and the regular Cabinet Minister $1.9 million.
Political office is about service and should not be about financial gain. However, we cannot expect people, who could otherwise be in lucrative careers, to sacrifice themselves without being properly compensated.
Having paid our MPs so badly over these years, is it any wonder that we do not attract the best and brightest minds to the political sphere. We need to correct the anomaly.
While we are at it, we also need to look at pensions for retired MPs. Many of them receive as little as $6,000 per month. Is that the reward for a life of service to the country?
Former Central Kingston MP Ronnie Thwaites, was among those in the forefront pushing for this issue to be addressed. With his recent resignation as MP for Central Kingston, this matter should not be allowed to fall off the agenda.
