By Garwin Davis, Assistant News EditorFIRST-TERM Government and Opposition Members of Parliament say they could be more effective if they had properly-funded constituency offices from which to operate.
This, they say, has greatly hampered the kind of interaction "we would want with our constituents", noting that in some cases they were hard pressed to keep the offices open.
The MPs were speaking yesterday at a Gleaner Editors' Forum at the newspaper's North Street offices, central Kingston.
"Everybody talks about the salaries of MPs and quite rightly so," noted James Robertson, a JLP MP. "But if the MPs had what I would call a true level of support... governmental support... I would agree on the salary issue. When that support is not there for running a proper office, we all know what the costs of running an office is... and when you have to take your salary to do this, then you will understand why most of us feel that what is coming from the Government is not sufficient."
Mr. Robertson said the matter is further compounded by the fact that since October 16 last year, MPs have not received their Social and Economic Support Programme (SESP) funds, money given to MPs by central government to be used at the constituency level.
"Not one dollar... We have gone seven months...We have gone two quarters...we are into quarter three and quarter four and we have not received one dollar", said Mr. Robertson.
For Victor Cummings, PNP MP, the story is the same. "We have a full-time secretary, social workers and community organisers... I have to find money to pay everybody," he stressed.
'EVERYBODY WANTS HELP...'
"Every Friday I have to find money to pay those people. We also have light bill to pay... water bill to pay. I am in the office on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. During that time anywhere between 35 and 40 people are present. When I get there at 9.00, there is a line waiting... Everybody wants help... so we take a name and number.
"Everybody has a problem... we try to help because you know the problem is genuine. A month ago I just kept writing cheques until I find that I had no money for my own family - I dealt with everybody's problems at the expense of my own family."
Dr. St. Aubyn Bartlett, JLP MP, added: "When you talk about the salary that a MP gets...the office alone absorbs everything. Then you go to the community... every week there is a dead person. It gets worse when it gets around to school time."
His colleague, Clive Mullings (JLP), said he has had to use his business office in place of a constituency office. "I am a maverick in this regard and will tell you why," he said. "The old notion of having a constituency office with a party logo is something I don't subscribe to. If you do this you start out by alienating people...there are some people who will not feel confident to come.
"I am an MP for all people; not only for members of my party. What I have been doing and I must say I have been advised by many people against doing this, is using my private office. My staff is very good so I would say it has been working. The ideal situation is to have a proper MP's office. I am personally running a risk by doing this. If you are going to ask for accountability... for performance... give us the tool to work with. We should not have to go this route - we should have a proper MP's office which is fully funded."
