Let's raise the standard

BARRING ANY unforeseen circumstances, the 2010-2011 Sectoral Debate should get going in Parliament tomorrow with Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister Karl Samuda leading the charge.

The debate, according to the line-up, will run until July and almost all members of parliament (MP) are set to exercise their right to speak.

For some, it will be an opportunity, beyond answering the roll call and shouting insults, to have their names written in Hansard as having contributed to a debate in the House.

This year, the debate is being held under the theme 'Positioning for Growth', which we believe is apt for the time. Sadly, however, The Gavel believes that some MPs will struggle to understand the meaning of the theme and thereby short-change the country with the substance of their presentations.

It has always been the view of The Gavel that the sectoral debate should cease being the arena for persons to speak about the number of chicken coops they have built or funerals they have attended.

already adopted

Indeed, we see this debate as an opportunity for members of parliament to tell the nation about those projects or those approaches that have been adopted in various communities that have led to an improvement in the lives of the people.

The Gavel is challenging each member of parliament to demonstrate to the nation that the thinking breed is not dead. We would be daft if we expect people to sing from a songbook other than that of their party, but certainly, there is room in this debate for all speakers to look critically at various sectors and indicate novel and perhaps revolutionary approaches to position Jamaica for growth.

We were impressed with Lisa Hanna last year when she suggested ways in which Jamaica could position its cultural industries for the benefit of a wide cross section of young people.

advancement

Similarly, Laurence Broderick's call for an integrated approach to dealing with reclaimed lands to alleviate rural poverty, while not new, underscored how important land-use policy is to the advancement of the lives of rural folks.

While by nature our political and parliamentary system is adversarial, we hope that our MPs who speak this year will find it possible to go beyond saying the nice things about working together and just do it. None other than rabble-rouser-in-chief Everald Warmington told the House last year that he looks forward to "the day when we can put political differences and political consideration aside".

Warmington's first duty in this debate is to show his colleagues respect when they are on their feet and allow them the honour of being heady in silence. We share Warmington's vision and we hope that despite policy differences, when this debate is over, Jamaicans can get a sense of where we are heading as a nation.

Meanwhile, we caution government ministers in particular against waste of State resources in preparing presentations for these debates. The Gavel is fully cognisant of the importance of an attractive booklet containing the speech of any member. But we believe it is overkill when members, because they have access to taxpayers' money, decide to use the most expensive glossy paper to print their speeches.

It was something The Gavel allowed to slide last year but, this year, we are committed to helping Finance Minister Audley Shaw save every dollar by reducing waste. We will be adopting a zero-tolerance approach to the use of public resources in Parliament for self-aggrandising.

Send feedback to thegavel@gleanerjm.com.