Legal solution for a social problem?

THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, our national Parliament, has its work cut out for it over the next few months. From all indications a heavy legislative agenda lies before it, leading up to next year’s Budget, which, as the possible last one before the next general elections, is sure to generate much interest.

Over the past two sittings, the House has approved legislation for a Supplementary Budget to cater for relief and reconstruction efforts in the wake of hurricane Beryl; declared a national holiday to honour the Spiritual Baptists; facilitated measures to strengthen regional integration; and this week, tried to provide a legal solution to a growing social problem in the form of the sale and excessive consumption of alcohol at funerals The range of issues before the House is certainly an indication to Parliamentarians that they must step up their game and be prepared to grapple with an increasingly wide range of issues that, of necessity, find themselves on the national agenda. As elections draw nearer it is also a signal to political parties about the calibre of persons they select to offer the electorate to lead the country. While personal popularity is vote-catching and rabble-rousing can gee up supporters, once elected much more is required, indeed demanded of a Parliamentarian. Many fall short in this regard.

It is a modern tragedy that Caribbean countries have fallen for accepting a parliamentary model based on the colonial Westminster system under which adversarial politics is pre-eminent. So, there is a government side committed to singing the chorus provided while those on the other side, in practice, seem to feel committed to oppose as their primary task. Proposing alternatives do not seem to be high on the agenda.

We often get arguments without any real basis except for personal and egotistic reasons, and matters often end up in Parliament which could be effectively addresses elsewhere. In addition, such is the adversarial nature of our politics that even when national interests are at stake, Parliamentarians seem to want us to hear them outdo each other in needless arguments rather than provide some amicable solutions.