Many individuals have raised their voices in condemning what has transpired in the National Assembly during the debate on Revenue and Expenditure Estimates for 2021. We join these individuals in their condemnation, and in doing so, we will refrain from naming names and instead focus on the root causes of the undesirable behavior by some of our elected officials. Not all Members of Parliament (MPs) fall into this category, as some have in the past behaved in a way that suits their Honorary Membership of the House. The names of the late Desmond Hoyte, the late Winston Murray, David Granger, Rupert Roopnaraine, Dominic Gaskin, and Samuel Hinds come to mind with ease.
Lack of direct accountability to the electorate
Before 1964, MPs were elected on a constituency basis, meaning that individual members were directly elected by citizens on the basis of geographical representation, or a so-called first-past-the-post voting system. About a third of the world’s countries continue to use this system, mainly English-speaking countries. In such a situation, individual MPs are directly accountable to citizens who elected them to office. If they do not carry themselves in a manner consistent with their status, or do not perform as expected, they are likely to be replaced in the next round of elections.