Shinique Walters | Role of the MP in nation-building

The 2025 general election spotlight was turned to Eastern Portland and the surprising defeat of Ann Marie Vaz. Despite her highly publicised community intervention, most notably road repairs and other infrastructure initiatives, she lost her parliamentary seat.

The conversation was puzzling as people keep saying “if an MP is seen as working in her constituency, why would voters not support her”? The answer is showing a deeper problem within Jamaican politics, a widespread misunderstanding of the role of members of parliament (MPs) in their constituency.

While she significantly demonstrated the fixing of roads, which is helpful to her constituency, it also reflects the parochial pressures that MPs face. Citizens often judge MPs by their ability to provide tangible benefits such as the repairing of roads, paying school fees, or offering welfare support. But these are not true constitutional responsibilities of an MP. By focusing primarily on parochial activities, an MP may gain short-term approval but ultimately weaken their national role as lawmaker and their ability to build a stronger nation through representation.

CHALLENGES OF PAROCHIAL POLITICS

Jamaican democratic process is based on the Westminster parliamentary system, in which MPs first are seen as legislators. They are elected to represent their constituencies in parliament, where they debate and pass laws, scrutinise government policies and hold the executive accountable. However, according to Carl Stone, they are seen as super social workers - community fixers who handle everything from pothole fixing to burial assistance for the community needs. Historically during post-Independence, MPs were also expected to bring resources to their constituencies as a means of demonstrating political effectiveness. As a result, many citizens evaluate the performance and effectiveness of their MPs primarily through these localised and material contributions, rather than their legislative impact or policy engagement. The outcome with MPs losing their seats underscores a paradox: even when MPs deliver visible parochial projects, they may still lose political ground because these activities are neither sustainable nor aligned with their true responsibilities.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY

According to the Green Paper on the Job Description for Members of Parliament (2023), the document provides a clear guide for understanding the four primary roles of MPs. First, the legislative role, which emphasises debating, introducing motions, and voting on bills that shape Jamaica’s legal and policy environment. MPs also serve as participants in parliamentary committees, such as the Public Accounts Committee, which is tasked with scrutinising government expenditure. They perform a representative role by voicing the concerns of their constituencies in Parliament and advocating for policies, services, and reforms aimed at improving the quality of life for citizens.

Moreover, they also exercise an oversight role by holding the executive accountable, ensuring that government policies are transparent, effective, and reflective of the national interest. Finally, MPs also fulfil a developmental role that helps with managing the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) which provides financial resources for small-scale projects. Therefore, moving from a space where MPs prioritise welfare handouts or road repairs at the expense of these broader duties, they inadvertently undermine their legislative and oversight functions, which are critical to effective governance and are essential for fostering sustainable nation-building. Consequently, the prioritisation of short-term, highly visible interventions over long-term development strategies weakens the transformative potential of parliamentary service and perpetuates dependency rather than fostering inclusive and sustainable growth.

RE FOCUSING ON THE ROLE

To strengthen democracy and drive nation-building, Jamaica must shift how it evaluates its members of parliament. MPs should prioritise lawmaking and oversight, with effectiveness measured by attendance, debate contributions, and committee engagement — not by ceremonial appearances or infrastructure handouts. Real reforms and cultural change are essential for MPs to focus on what truly matters: governing for the people. MPs must move away from focusing on parochial tasks like road maintenance and drain repairs, which should be managed by parish councils and municipal authorities. Instead, they should ensure that funds from the CDF are used for sustainable, long-term projects rather than short-term fixes. This shift would allow MPs to devote their attention to national legislative work.

The constituency needs to be re-educated about the true role of MPs. Civic education campaigns, schools, and civil society organisations can help clarify the responsibilities of MPs, councillors, and government ministries, thus enabling citizens to assess their work from an informed perspective. MPs’ performance should also be evaluated through accountable bodies, such as the Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal (JAMP), which can track parliamentary performance, use of CDF funds, and community engagement. Developing scorecards would further empower citizens to evaluate MPs beyond the narrow focus on parochial services. MPs should also schedule meetings with their constituency, such as town halls to address various issues and provide workable solutions, while also ensuring that they are accessible to the people and they are also handled with respect, despite what political party they are affiliated with.

Ultimately, nation-building is a partnership between leaders and citizens. Communities can strengthen accountability by assessing MPs on clear, measurable criteria by demonstrating a commitment to advancing Vision 2030 goals such as education, equity, economic growth, and good governance.

BEYOND ROADS AND HANDOUTS

For Jamaica to achieve meaningful nation-building, MPs must re-orient their focus toward national development, leaving parochial service delivery to local government and government agencies. Communities, in turn, must hold MPs accountable for their true role, not for patching roads but for passing laws, shaping policies, and ensuring accountability. Only then can Jamaica’s Parliament fulfil its mandate as the central institution of democracy and development. And only then will MPs serve as builders of the nation, rather than patrons of the parish.

Dr Shinique Walters is a lecturer in the Department of Government and research fellow at the Centre for Leadership and Government at The University of the West Indies, Mona. Send feedback to shiniquewalters@gmail.com.