The Committee is recommending that job descriptions be developed for the politicians in order to ensure that they are guided in carrying out their duties effectively.
The report of the bi-partisan committee which was chaired by K.D. Knight, former National Security and Justice Minister, will be made available to the public this week. It has already been sent to Prime Minister P. J. Patterson, and Opposition Leader Edward Seaga, for their perusal and comments.
It said the elements of the job description must be developed and agreed to by both Government and Opposition to "capture the understandings" conveyed in other recommendations.
The committee has suggested that some major areas of responsibility for parliamentarians could include:
External representation of the constituency's interest.There were a number of suggestions from Jamaicans yesterday, as to what such job descriptions should entail. Most however, said they either did not know what parliamentarians do, or should do.
"If such a listing of duties become necessary I would ensure that they are very broad and general so as to incorporate any other task or activities that may become necessary from time to time," said Alicia Thompson, attorney.
Her preference for general guidelines rather than a list of duties has to do with the fact that societies and the needs of societies change, hence the duties and responsibilities of parliamentarians also change. Miss Thompson would rather see parliamentarians perform their duties with integrity - "that sort of thing".
"They should represent their constituency in Parliament, lobby for certain social amenities and rights," said Ruthlyn Johnson, public relations executive. "They should also be visible among the people they claim to represent -- I should see them, at least once per month," she added. According to Miss Johnson, each parliamentarian should be mandated to institute at least one programme in their constituency that has longevity, before they quit representational politics.
"Top of the list must be that they truly represent their constituency," said Michael Johnson, school teacher of Mandeville, Manchester. "By that I mean they should also be graded according to their level of performance."
According to the school teacher, parliamentarians should be given a "things to do list", duties that must be accomplished within a specified time. "They should implement programmes to ensure the roads are fixed, that residents receive potable water and that the elderly are taken care of. If parliamentarians cannot ensure the basics then they should not offer themselves for representation," he asserted.
Clarence Clarke, President of the Jamaica Manufacturers Association (JMA), passed on the opportunity to comment yesterday. "I am concerned that us in the private sector have not yet seen the report," he told The Sunday Gleaner.
