MPs are public servants not stars
Published:Monday | May 6, 2024 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
“There was my name up in lights. I said, ‘God, somebody’s made a mistake.’ But there it was, in lights. And I sat there and said, ‘Remember, you’re not a star.’ Yet there it was up in lights.” If the aforesaid words were uttered by most of our members of parliament (MPs), instead of Marilyn Monroe, they could not have been truer.
Some MPs seem to forget that they are representatives of the people, first and foremost, and consequently, are obligated to serve the interest of the public generally and their constituents in particular. Instead, they, too often, go off on a frolic of their own, chasing stardom, without recognising that the main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.
That aside, I believe MPs can cover themselves in glory by unrepentantly contributing to passing laws for peace, order, transparent and accountable governance, and naming said laws after themselves. These laws should be so effective that the slightest departure from prescribed norms would result in amplified penalties, particularly for those offenders in high offices who ought to have known better. We must get to that point where a zero-tolerance approach is the gold standard for public officials who misappropriate public resources and/or neglect the upkeep of infrastructures!
Oh, what a decorous island Jamaica would be if MPs were to contemplate promulgating a Holness Integrity Act, which seeks to impose full enquiries into the characters of MPs, with exclusionary clauses for those who are found wanting; or a Patterson Waiver Act, which causes cost-benefit analysis of government-issued waivers to be laid bare for public scrutiny. Better yet, a great start could be a Chang-Robinson 365 Financing Act, which brings political donations into sharp focus every day of the year.
Undoubtedly, such contemplations would not only cause us to give due consideration to putting up MPs’ names in lights, but would go a far way in convincing the public that they are serious about making Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business.
R.A. SILENCE