Wanted: Job descriptions

By Peter Espeut

Before the recent general election, the call was raised for the job description of members of parliament (MPs) to be published - quite reasonable, I thought, because if 130-plus people put themselves forward as candidates for 63 jobs, at least the voters should be clear on what MPs are called upon to do. The job description will also give an idea of the qualifications necessary for the job. No job description was forthcoming - from any quarter.

I think job descriptions are all the more necessary with parish council elections imminent. It is likely that in excess of 450 persons will offer themselves later this month for the 223 jobs as parish councillors; and before we are called upon to cast our votes, surely we should know what parish councillors are required to do, so that we can make a judgement about how suitable they are?

There is a sizeable body of persons who believe that parish councils should be abolished. In other words, they are superfluous; MPs would say they can easily do the jobs the councillors are called upon to do. The sug-gestion is that the job descriptions of the MP and parish councillor are not sufficiently distinct.

I don't agree that parish councils should be abolished, but I do agree that the job descriptions of the MP and parish councillor are not sufficiently distinct. In Jamaica, these two political positions are somewhat muddled. As a result, neither is able to perform a solid role in Jamaica's polity.

Mp has real power

In our Westminster model, there are three branches of government - the executive, the legislature and the judiciary - each with quite distinct functions. MPs are part of the legislature, which means their primary function is to consider new statutes, regulations and the like, as well as the repeal and amendment of laws already on the books.

In Jamaican practice, the Cabinet (the executive) has usurped this function; legislation to come before Parliament must first be approved by Cabinet.

If a legislator wishes to propose a law, he must first go to the relevant portfolio minister and persuade him to take it to Cabinet. Failing that, he must introduce it in Parliament as a private member's motion. But first he must get his draft bill written, and Cabinet ministers have priority access to the chief parliamentary counsel where Jamaican legislation is drafted.

With very little other than desk-thumping to do (since his legislative function has been usurped by Cabinet), the parliamentarian turns to his constituency and usurps the role of the parish councillor.

Local government is about roads and drains and street lighting and schools and garbage collection and water supplies and the cutting of verges, and the like. These are local matters which the parish councillor must deal with; but in almost all cases, the MP or some central government agency handles them: the National Solid Waste Management Authority has all but removed responsibility for garbage collection from the parish councils; the MP nominates school board members, and deals with much of the rest from his Constituency Development Fund allocation.

The parish councillor - supposedly with the responsibility for local government - has no such fund to draw on; he must hope that some central government minister choose his parish council divisions to 'let off' some money for some employment, or some infrastructure development.

Little faith in councils

With this confused arrangement, I can see why many people believe that local government is a waste of time, and an unnecessary tier of government.

In this 50th year of our Independence, don't you think we should get this right? Legislators must legislate, and local government must deal with local issues. Otherwise, we should do away with it.

Right now, the parish councillors are little more than the henchmen of the MPs, and local government is the incubator for future MPs.

In governance theory, the principle of subsidiarity holds that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralised competent authority. Central government should perform only those tasks which cannot be performed effectively at the more immediate local government level. MPs should not be called upon to perform tasks which can be performed more effectively by local government.

Were this to be implemented under our current arrangements, MPs would have very little to do, since their legislative functions have largely been taken over by Cabinet and line ministers. A total revamping of our governance arrange-ments (part of constitutional reform) is required.

What are we going to teach the children in civics class about the difference in the job description of the councillor and the MP?

Peter Espeut is a sociologist and rural-development scientist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.