PM: Area representative performance uneven

Some members of the Dr.Ralph Gonsalves led Cabinet have been acing their dual roles of Minister and Parliamentary Representative, while others have not been doing so well.{{more}}

Prime Minister Gonsalves, speaking frankly on the issue last Monday, said the work has been very uneven in that regard.

The Prime Minister said it is becoming a real problem throughout the region to be able to satisfy as well as some constituents would want, at both the ministerial and representational functions. He also acknowledged that there are constituents who are at the extreme.

“If they don’t see you every week on their doorsteps, they don’t feel that you are connected with them. Well obviously you can’t be on their doorsteps every week,” said Dr.Gonsalves.

Sharing a few tips on how an individual can make the two roles function in sync, the Prime Minister said: one has to manage his or her time properly, set up structures and put systems in place to get things done, liaise in an interpersonal way and set aside time to see the constituents.

“This representational business, you have to be at people’s funeral, you have to be at their weddings, you have to be at their christenings. Sometimes a superhuman effort is required of the representative,” Dr.Gonsalves added.

He told the nation that representatives who are not contesting the next general elections may not have as much enthusiasm to do “the slug” of the detailed representational work as if they were vying for a seat.

“That is the case not just for the ULP that’s also the case for the NDP. Some of the people whom perhaps they not considering to run back, those persons are probably doing very very little work in the constituencies,” said Dr.Gonsalves, stating that he was being practical and honest on the issue.

He outlined that generally he is satisfied that the people of St.Vincent and the Grenadines are getting very good representation from their members of Parliament in the Unity Labour Party (ULP), even though some are doing far better than others. He said where members of his Cabinet are not doing as well as expected he is always on their backs for them to do better.

On Sunday, November 13, 2005, Prime Minister Gonsalves told Vincentians on the campaign trail that he would not tolerate laziness from any representative elected on the ULP ticket.

Back then, Dr.Gonsalves warned: “There will be no tolerance of laziness…there will be no tolerance among us of any lack of devotion to duty and there will be no separation from the candidates, from your representatives and you, which means that every single week we will have to come into the constituencies and be with you, not just at the constituency office but to go around in the constituencies, to have a proper political organization in place.” (HN)