by Linda Straker
- Ministers have double obligation, to serve constituents and to entire country
- Balancing roles will result in reduced physical presence in constituencies
- Andall is Member of Parliament for St Patrick West and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Export Development
Joseph Andall, Member of Parliament (MP) for the Constituency of St Patrick West, recently told constituents in a town hall meeting that balancing the roles of a cabinet minister and serving as a member of Parliament will result in reduced physical presence in a constituency.
“Being a minister is a real job. The frequency in which you will see someone during an election campaign will naturally be reduced after an election and especially if that person becomes a Minister of Government, because not only do you have a constituency to service but a ministry that you have overall policy responsibility for,” he told constituents.
“It’s now reasonable to expect someone with a ministerial portfolio will not have the same physical presence in a constituency as he or she did during an election campaign. If you are seeing your ministers on the block regularly, it means that we are not doing the people’s work as we are being paid to do.” Andall is the current Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Export Development.
“Now, as ministers, we have the opportunity to help to influence policy to a much greater extent than Members of Parliament who are not part of the Cabinet and many of the things that you see being done or getting done, it happens simply because you are fortunate to have MPs who are members of the Cabinet.” Dozens of St Patrick West and East constituents attended the meeting.
“The first job we got is to be your representatives in the Lower House of Parliament, and the only people who can fire us from that job are you, the constituents, and hopefully, you make that last 5 years before you even try to do that,” he said, explaining how an elected member of Parliament become a member of the Cabinet.
“Our second job is that of Minister of Government. The person who gave us that job is the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister can fire us or switch us around at his whim and fancy. We have a double obligation, to serve you as our constituents, but also as ministers to serve the entire country,” said Andall.
your constituents gave you your job. your prime minister defines your role in government. you are laying down the excuses you plan to use in the next 4 1/2 years.
Then during election campaign you should tell your constituents once elected you will never be seen again.