We wholeheartedly support Premier Dr. Orlando Smith’s proposal to better utilise backbenchers in the House of Assembly by appointing them to be “ministers of state” with specific responsibilities.
This plan is particularly cogent now, when there is an unusually large pool of six backbenchers with varied professional backgrounds. We hope the measure comes soon.
Though the move would be a first for a United Kingdom overseas territory, the idea is not new: Similar measures were proposed here during the 2011 election campaigns, and they have not been carried out.
Still, some backbenchers have made their mark in the past three and a half years. At-large representative Archie Christian, for example, helped organise a territory-wide cleanup campaign, and Marlon Penn, an information technology professional who represents the Eighth District, assisted in spearheading the e-government initiative.
But a formalised arrangement assigning specific junior-minister roles to all backbenchers would certainly help clarify their responsibilities and ensure that they get a chance to shine.
Their new duties, for instance, might include serving on more legislative committees and reviewing certain laws before they come to the HOA floor. Such work could help make a dent in the dozens of laws that are urgently needed: The HOA annually promises 40 to 50 laws and then passes fewer than 15 each year.
Given the small size of the two-person opposition, we would also like to see backbenchers take a more active role in debates. In the past, they have tended to serve as a sort of rubber stamp, parroting support for the views of their party’s leaders.
They could do much more, particularly since they are permitted to question ministers during HOA sessions.
In recent years, legislators have often expressed a desire to establish another ministry of government. Though this step would be costly, it may be necessary in the future as the territory grows.
However, it should not be taken until all of the existing HOA members are fully utilised. Setting up minister-of-state roles is a good first step.
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