MP gets wake-up call
IT HAS been a wake-up call for first-time Member of Parliament for Manchester Southern Robert Chin, who is quickly learning that while members of parliament have lots of responsibilities, they have very little authority or the requisite funding to meet the demands of their constituents.
This admission came during his maiden presentation to the State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, where he, along with MP for Portland Eastern Ann-Marie Vaz and Member of Parliament for South East St Mary Dr Norman Dunn (both second-term MPS) provided updates on their constituencies.
Chin, who pulled off a giant-killing act during last September’s general election to poll 6,810 votes to People’s National
Party (PNP) candidate Michael Stewart’s 5,916, told his colleagues that since then, he has been on a very fast learning curve. This was a major upset since the PNP had held the seat for 31 years.
“I quickly learnt that there is a disconnect between what people expect of their elected representatives and the actual duties and responsibilities of a legislator. I quickly l earnt members of parliament have a lot of responsibilities but little authority to carry out these responsibilities. I quickly learnt that $20 million allocated in the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is woefully inadequate to meet the expectations of the constituents.
“The constituents have extremely high expectations, some very unrealistic and every one expects that their issue will be resolved immediately,” he admitted.
Still, from his CDF, Chin has been providing some by way of care packages and other assistance to the more vulnerable persons in his constituency.
SEVERELY UNDERDEVELOPED
Acknowledging that the rural constituency had been severely underdeveloped in the 31 years that the PNP has held sway, the neophyte politician declared his commitment to begin to right the many wrongs, even as he noted that it would be a Herculean task.
“It still amazes me, Madam Speaker, that there are people in the constituency, especially those who did not support my candidacy, who suddenly noticed and even become very vocal that they do not have proper roads, electricity and running water for the past 31 years. Miraculously they have realised that.
“Roads in the constituency can be placed in two categories – bad and worse. The vast majority of the parochial roads are in total disrepair, most of which are essential to agriculture. The major road from Warwick to Pusey Hill has been rendered impassable since the passage of Hurricane Grace and is a critical road of economic significance to farmers, not only in South Manchester but also South St Elizabeth farmers who use the road to take their produce to markets and the shipping ports. This road needs immediate and urgent attention,” Chin appealed.
Meanwhile, MP Vaz, even while admitting that there were still outstanding issues for her constituency, had some successes to report as well, under the theme ‘Recovery and Representation Through Service’.
URGED TO GET VACCINATED
Noting that the education sector has been stymied by the pandemic, Vaz urged her constituents to get vaccinated so that they can get back to getting educated.
“COVID-19 has crippled our traditional education system and kept our children out of school for over a year. We need our children back in school, therefore, I urge Jamaicans to get vaccinated; education entails far more than sitting in front of a device with a teacher,” she urged.
Through the Universal Service Fund, Wi-Fi has been installed in the town or Port Antonio, which has given students greater access to online learning, with similar access planned for Eastern Portland.
Vaz also reported that infrastructural upgrades were done to the Moore Town Primary and Nonsuch Basic School, through the One Jamaica Foundation.
“Additionally, the massive roadwork on the South Coast Highway Project provided temporary employment for youths. There are several projects which will come on stream to provide permanent employment,” the MP for Portland Eastern promised.
“A major one is the Boundbrook development, which is a 140,000-square foot development that will include government offices and private businesses. Of the 140,000 square feet, 65,000 will be business process outsourcing space. This has the potential to employ at least 3,000 persons. Groundbreaking is slated for January 2022,” she said.