Dr. Rosalea Hamilton and Anthony Irons

When Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller sits down to tackle the complex issues of state, she can, in the normal course of events, count on the support of more than 40,000 people employed in the civil service and several thousand more who make up the public bureaucracy.

But Mrs. Simpson Miller can also call for help from a personal staff of at least seven - with a combined salary of about $18 million a year - including an adviser with a background in finance, but whose primary job, apparently, is to keep the PM informed about the latest developments on doping in sports. Based on the summary of her job description provided by Jamaica House, it seems this is the primary responsibility of Anne Shirley, a $3.2 million-a-year adviser to the Prime Minister, who ranks second on the pay scale for the PM's personal staff, next to chief adviser, Dr Rosalea Hamilton, who earns close to $4.5 million a year.

In the 1990s, Shirley, with advanced degrees in finance and economics, was a senior manager in Paul Chen Young's now- collapsed Eagle Financial Group. She later operated as a private consultant and was for a brief period, head of the Jamaica operations of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). In recent years, she has worked with Simpson Miller at the Local Government Ministry and moved with her to Jamaica House when Simpson Miller won the leadership of the PNP and then the prime minister's job.

Anti-doping in Sport

Said the Jamaica House synopsis of the scope of Shirley's assignment: "Responsible for anti-doping in sport assignment and conducting research required by the MHPM" (Most Honourable Prime Minister).

No one appears to question Shirley's skill or competence or the right of prime ministers, including Simpson Miller, to such special staff. Neither do they seem to question the bill associated with this group. However, job descriptions such as Shirley's have caused more than a laugh and suggestions about the need for a more transparent mechanism for such appointments are raised.

Kevin O'Brien Chang, political commentator, found a part of Miss Shirley's job descriptions ridiculous. "Why would a prime minister running national affairs need an adviser on such a minor issue?" he questioned. "That sounds crazy."

However, he conceded that it could, in the eyes of the PM, be deemed as a sizeable issue. He argued that maybe because Mrs. Simpson Miller has portfolio responsibility for sport, she wanted to maintain Jamaica's relatively squeaky clean image on the international track and field circuit.

But, Opposition Leader, Bruce Golding, criticised the manner in which consultants and assistants are chosen.

Mr. Golding argued that the persons assigned to the Office of the Prime Minister should be approved by Parliament. He said the current practice of hiring individuals outside of the civil service is not open to scrutiny. "This business where the PM can take on people at will and give them a title that comes to mind (is unacceptable)," Mr. Golding said. "(We) are in no position to say whether the system is being abused; (we) don't know whether these are just jobs for the boys."

While Shirley tells the Prime Minister the latest developments on doping in sports, Dr. Hamilton, a former trade policy consultant to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the current CEO of the Institute of Law and Economics Ltd., is responsible for providing policy advice to the Prime Minister and or Cabinet with respect to the areas of portfolio responsibility of the Prime Minister, according to the Jamaica House documents. Mrs. Simpson Miller has areas such as defence, sports and information in her portfolio.

High-profile advisers

Also among the team of high-profile advisers is Deborah Hickling, special assistant, whose salary is nothing to heckle at, as she pockets close to $2.5 million (roughly $207,000 monthly) and $420,000 in travelling allowance per annum, to coordinate and manage the day-to-day logistical movements, functions and events of the Prime Minister, locally and internationally.

Next in line is Anthony Irons, a long-time associate of Mrs. Simpson Miller who was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour during the time that she was Labour Minister. Together, they quelled numerous industrial disputes in marathon sittings. Now he is another of her senior advisers, taking home approximately $2.2 million a year and close to half a million dollars in travelling allowance. Lincoln Robinson, press secretary; Pamela Redwood, executive assistant and Eugene Kelly, special assistant complete her list of advisers and assistants.

- T.R.