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EDITORIAL - Mr Golding's barrel of pork
published: Sunday | March 30, 2008
Politicians like nothing better than to wallow in pork, to feel its fat dripping through their fingers and the power of doling out dollops of rind to people.
For all his protestations, Bruce Golding, the prime minister of Jamaica, is no exception. Indeed, the evidence of the pork barrel Constituency Development Fund (CDF), as outlined in the Government's Budget, tabled last Thursday, has reinforced this perception.
Members of the Jamaican Parliament, no matter how high-mindedly they spoke on any number of issues, all loved what used to be called the Social and Economic Support Programme. In fact, a few years ago, when former finance minister, Omar Davies, cut the budgetary allocation for the SESP, it provided a rare occasion of bipartisan unity in the House. Members of the then governing People's National Party (PNP) joined the Opposition in mutiny.
The attraction of the SESP was that it gave MPs access to a few million dollars each year, which they could spend, with supposed accountability, on assumed good causes - perhaps helping a child with school fees, contributing to the cost of a funeral, or helping to finance a community centre. It usually appeared as though the beneficence of the MP was all his or her own doing and not that of the taxpayer.
In the financial year now ending, the budget for the SESP was $269.8 million, or the allocation of an average of $4.5 million for each member of the House.
But Mr Golding has long been of the view that the SESP did not go far enough, arguing for the need for substantial resources which the MP, ostensibly with the oversight of civil-society groups, could tap for constituency-development projects. He used to advocate an annual allocation of five per cent of the Budget for this scheme. But in the Jamaica Labour Party's manifesto for last September's election, Mr Golding compromised at half that amount.
As it turned out, Jamaica's economic realities have caused Mr Golding, at least for the time being, to compromise further. But, importantly, his enhanced pork barrel has survived.
In the new Budget is an allocation of $2.46 billion for the CDF, which, admittedly, includes the $1 billion that used to be managed by the Urban Development Corporation for the so-called Lift-up Jamaica programme. But even with the Lift-up Jamaica fund and the other bits and pieces for welfare, the allocation is over 90 per cent higher than in 2007-2008.
Mr Golding is yet to outline the management arrangements for this project, but whatever they are, rest assured that the politicians will remain very close to, if not in total control, of the pork barrel.
Significantly, there is no allocation to parish councils, which might have been easier to stomach as the empowerment of local government.
What Mr Golding's CDF will do is strengthen the client relation between constituent and MP, reinforcing the view of the parliamentarian as the dispenser of scare benefits and spoils - no matter the clothes in which this project is dressed.
But what is worse, this is not all of it; Mr Golding's wants to expand the CDF once the Budget can accommodate the dripping of more pork fat.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.
published: Sunday | March 30, 2008
Politicians like nothing better than to wallow in pork, to feel its fat dripping through their fingers and the power of doling out dollops of rind to people.
For all his protestations, Bruce Golding, the prime minister of Jamaica, is no exception. Indeed, the evidence of the pork barrel Constituency Development Fund (CDF), as outlined in the Government's Budget, tabled last Thursday, has reinforced this perception.
Members of the Jamaican Parliament, no matter how high-mindedly they spoke on any number of issues, all loved what used to be called the Social and Economic Support Programme. In fact, a few years ago, when former finance minister, Omar Davies, cut the budgetary allocation for the SESP, it provided a rare occasion of bipartisan unity in the House. Members of the then governing People's National Party (PNP) joined the Opposition in mutiny.
The attraction of the SESP was that it gave MPs access to a few million dollars each year, which they could spend, with supposed accountability, on assumed good causes - perhaps helping a child with school fees, contributing to the cost of a funeral, or helping to finance a community centre. It usually appeared as though the beneficence of the MP was all his or her own doing and not that of the taxpayer.
In the financial year now ending, the budget for the SESP was $269.8 million, or the allocation of an average of $4.5 million for each member of the House.
But Mr Golding has long been of the view that the SESP did not go far enough, arguing for the need for substantial resources which the MP, ostensibly with the oversight of civil-society groups, could tap for constituency-development projects. He used to advocate an annual allocation of five per cent of the Budget for this scheme. But in the Jamaica Labour Party's manifesto for last September's election, Mr Golding compromised at half that amount.
As it turned out, Jamaica's economic realities have caused Mr Golding, at least for the time being, to compromise further. But, importantly, his enhanced pork barrel has survived.
In the new Budget is an allocation of $2.46 billion for the CDF, which, admittedly, includes the $1 billion that used to be managed by the Urban Development Corporation for the so-called Lift-up Jamaica programme. But even with the Lift-up Jamaica fund and the other bits and pieces for welfare, the allocation is over 90 per cent higher than in 2007-2008.
Mr Golding is yet to outline the management arrangements for this project, but whatever they are, rest assured that the politicians will remain very close to, if not in total control, of the pork barrel.
Significantly, there is no allocation to parish councils, which might have been easier to stomach as the empowerment of local government.
What Mr Golding's CDF will do is strengthen the client relation between constituent and MP, reinforcing the view of the parliamentarian as the dispenser of scare benefits and spoils - no matter the clothes in which this project is dressed.
But what is worse, this is not all of it; Mr Golding's wants to expand the CDF once the Budget can accommodate the dripping of more pork fat.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.
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