By Andrew
Elected Parliamentarians and their Senatorial colleagues are using the offices of their Ministries to handle and manage their constituency affairs.
Not only is this a serious breach of the protocols pertaining to the separation of powers, but it is mixing government business with political constituency matters of money, and persons, in the government lounges and waiting rooms.
It follows that the investors and local expatriates who have appointments, and even those known to the Minister, will get in first and their time is not limited, nor are they told on entering the Minister’s office, “I don’t have much time, so be quick.”
Or for that matter, those who have been told by the Minister to meet him at the Ministry for a specific time, and he does not appear, and sends no message to those waiting on him.
This sort of contempt that is metered out to local people needing help, and having nowhere to meet but the Ministry, it gets it a bit rowdy at times, with even with the investor/expatriate business people in the waiting room listening to the tirade.
Some persons decide to wait it out as they have no other option, and, like the heavily overweight woman who admitted to high blood pressure, diabetes and gall stones, waiting from 9.30 am to 3 pm without food, just water.
The time has come to return the politicians to the constituency for constituency matters; open up those locked up buildings for which our money is paying the rent; take time to listen to those for whom you work, the people who put you in those government offices where you ignore them, and treat them like lesser humans, until you need their vote!
Unfortunately this mixing of politics with government is a problem with both side of the aisle as the Opposition Constituency offices are also extremely inactive unless an election is in the air.
Constituency Branch Offices Executives are also to blame as they are quite glad to go on pause, and move into the Ministry to talk down to the constituents forced to meet them there for constituency services.
Establishment Division or whomsoever is responsible for the uses of government buildings and property need to do their job and follow the rules, advising the elected representatives of their failure to obey the rules regarding the proper use of the government’s buildings for the work of government.
It is not only a breach of government Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS), but it is prejudicial to the Opposition who have no access to government premises for their political campaign support.
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When electorates learn that their vote is powerful, politicians will stop treating them as less than human.
While I understand the writers annoyance and maybe discuss with the current system.
The system was designed for the colonialists benefit. Remnants of that group living in Antigua have given themselves a new name; and now has morphed into “the expatriates”. The irony of it all. They too are now on receiving end of the same politicians power moves as the poor. The writer recognizes this dysfunctional relationship. Very little has changed with regards to government functions. Whats being described has been the norm for over 80 years. It’s the basis of todays politicians power.
Antigua and Barbuda like most of the Anglophile Caribbean has inherited a colonial governing system which was not designed to serve the needs of the poor.
Who drafts the Capital Development needs and the Operations budget as well as long term development needs?
When does a constituency collectively have input that becomes the budget speech?
Why does a Minister or an elected official need to be in a constituency office?
He or she should be in Cabinet or Parliament making the case for his constituents. He or she should be conferring with the head of government operations within his Cabinet portfolio.
Ministers are policy makers not operations officers
A constituents needs should be addressed by the Constituency Branch Offices Executives and managers, who then reports to the Minister.
Members of a constituency should have the ability to meet with their elected official (Minister) in a town hall type forum, enabling the constituents to voice their collective opinions and interests as well as individual needs.
Matters to do with Business persons: the investors and local expatriates should be initiated at the operations office of the Ministry.
Why are business person or expatriates meeting with the Minister? They should be meeting with the the executive or operations head of the Ministry. I would question why are they meeting except if they own a unique (IP) product or service.
Otherwise these individuals should be bidding or or proposing competitively.
Certainly if they are under contract and need to resolve issues a face to face may be beneficial.
I always wondered why are individuals who are the operations head of a government enterprise is called “the technicians”; turns out in the decision making process they are just technicians.
What the writter has observed will not change; until those individuals and groups in Antigua and Barbuda who knows better advocate for a change.
While I understand the writers annoyance and maybe discuss with the current system.
The system was designed for the colonialists benefit. Remnants of that group living in Antigua have given themselves a new name; and now has morphed into “the expatriates”. The irony of it all. They too are now on receiving end of the same politicians power moves as the poor. The writer recognizes this dysfunctional relationship. Very little has changed with regards to government functions. Whats being described has been the norm for over 80 years. It’s the basis of todays politicians power.
Antigua and Barbuda like most of the Anglophile Caribbean has inherited a colonial governing system which was not designed to serve the needs of the poor.
Who drafts the Capital Development needs and the Operations budget as well as long term development needs?
When does a constituency collectively have input that becomes the budget speech?
Why does a Minister or an elected official need to be in a constituency office?
He or she should be in Cabinet or Parliament making the case for his constituents. He or she should be conferring with the head of government operations within his Cabinet portfolio.
Ministers are policy makers not operations officers
A constituents needs should be addressed by the Constituency Branch Offices Executives and managers, who then reports to the Minister.
Members of a constituency should have the ability to meet with their elected official (Minister) in a town hall type forum, enabling the constituents to voice their collective opinions and interests as well as individual needs.
Matters to do with Business persons: the investors and local expatriates should be initiated at the operations office of the Ministry.
Why are business person or expatriates meeting with the Minister? They should be meeting with the the executive or operations head of the Ministry. I would question why are they meeting except if they own a unique (IP) product or service.
Otherwise these individuals should be bidding or or proposing competitively.
Certainly if they are under contract and need to resolve issues a face to face may be beneficial.
I always wondered why are individuals who are the operations head of a government enterprise is called “the technicians”; turns out in the decision making process they are just technicians.
What the writter has observed will not change; until those prominent individuals and respected groups in Antigua and Barbuda who knows better, advocate for a change.
Senators should be elected officials and not rubber stamp to ministers. Then they could be paid to run the constituency they are from. The parliamentarians could then concentrate and running the affairs of the country. He too should have a Constituency day per week to keep in touch with the people. The opposition politicians are also absent from their constituencies save a few that are active. They give a lame excuse that they are not in power so it makes no sense them coming. They only attend funerals and graduations where their are large gathering. We need constitutional reforms. We also need elected village council officials. They can be paid a stipend but is expected to volunteer a lot. Young people who are interested in representative politics, be it Parliament or Senate can start at the village or Constituency level.
The MP for St Marys North is the major culprit. The Ministry of was literally a Medical center
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