FRED MITCHELL ARGUES FOR BETTER MP ALLOWANCES

Nassau Guardian photo

The following story appeared in The Nassau Guardian on 9 June 2023 by Candia Dames:

The government is raising the constituencies capital grant in the upcoming fiscal year from $100,000 per constituency to $150,000, but even that is inadequate to meet the tremendous demands placed on MPs to carry out infrastructure projects and meet requests for social assistance from constituents, Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell said yesterday.

Mitchell said if it were left up to him, the grant would be raised to $1 million as there is a need to “empower incumbents in their work”.

Speaking during the budget debate in the House of Assembly, he said, “The amount of discretionary spending that is required by members of Parliament, I’ve had a long time at this now, since 1992, and I think that I’ve never experienced, never experienced in my public life the level of demands from constituents with regard to discretionary spending [that I experience now]. I’ve never experienced this.

“This is incredible and I’ve tried to figure out what’s actually going on, the frantic nature of the requests, and I just go back to the study by the Central Bank in 2018 when they said that people in this country who make $30,000 a year or less are unable to make ends meet; 50 percent of them reported that they could not make ends meet at the end of the month, and it has gotten worse, Madam Speaker, because it seems to me, I know people say that crime and immigration are issues which concern them, but it seems to me right now that inflation has got to be the number one issue that’s affecting people because the cost of everything has become more expensive,” Mitchell said.

“So, the need for discretionary spending and the reliance on the social services assistance is becoming more acute, even as the economy rebounds.”

Mitchell said given the level of bureaucracy that goes into getting the Ministry of Works to carry out infrastructure works in constituencies, it would be helpful if a portion of the ministry’s budget is transferred “to the direct direction of the member of Parliament”.

“Given the level of what you’ve got available to you, [the capital grant allocated is] gone and what’s also important is the level of social spending you have to do, the bands you have to support, the schools you have to support and the various works that they do, so by the time you look around, the capital grant has disappeared,” he said.

“And I’m saying that this may help in a small way to try and improve that situation for members of Parliament.”

Mitchell added, “Members of Parliament have a very important job to do in trying to keep the government connected to the people who they govern, but also in making sure that the peace is kept in their communities and also making sure that the infrastructure in their communities is up to standard and up to scratch. 

“And the citizens of the country, in terms of the level of public education, see no distinction, it appears, between public monies and your own personal monies.

“The attitude is that the MP can go in their pocket and fix it … but that’s not the case. Most of us are men and women of ordinary means and you have to apply yourself in the judicious use of public funds to meet the greater demands of the Bahamian public.”

All grants payable under the Constituency Capital Grant Act are paid out of the Consolidated Fund.

Under the act, a capital development project includes any works carried out for the overall or partial development of a constituency; the maintenance of any roads, parks or other public facility within a constituency; the beautification of the environment within a constituency or any other work the MP considers appropriate for the development, educational or cultural endeavors of his or her constituency.

The law prohibits MPs from using any portion of the grant for any political meeting or forum, any fundraising activity for any political party, or the payment, maintenance, upkeep, salaries and other expenses in respect of the constituency office.

In the upcoming fiscal year, the government is also raising the monthly constituency allowance from $2,500 to $3,500. This allowance is supposed to be used for the operation of constituency offices.