Members of the Houses of Parliament in Gordon House for the official opening of Parliament.
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The job description and code of conduct for parliamentarians were finalised and approved in the Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday.
Kerensia Morrison, Member of Parliament for St Catherine North East, in moving the motion, said that the approval is timely, as Jamaicans have raised concerns that some Members of Parliament are not regularly attending Parliament but collect a full salary.
“Madam Speaker, this motion has come at a time juncture when Jamaicans are demanding standards of performance and accountability from parliamentarians as they expect and deserve the highest quality of representation from elected officials. One of the concerns raised in the public’s space is that there are Members of Parliament who are absent from the sitting of the house for weeks or months while collecting full salary from Parliament and it raises criticism when members whose absence barring illness is perpetual and chronic signing maybe once every three months while appearing hail and hearty in public going about regular business politicking in the sun while they can’t attend Parliament,” she said.
“It is barefaced. This is a move in the right direction, where respect for the people who elected us will be made demonstrable by our attendance in Parliament. We can’t be absent from Parliament, but we are out there politicking, risking a sun stroke,” she continued.
Adding to her point, Member of Parliament for St Andrew Western, Anthony Hylton, said it is also important to participate in parliamentary proceedings.
“Coming to Parliament is important, [but] to my mind, the most important thing is that you come here and you make a meaningful contribution. You can’t come here and say nothing, and when you do say something, it doesn’t move the needle at all. You have members here sitting, and I wouldn’t recognise their voice if they speak anywhere else,” he noted.