Left: Patrick Bailey: 'The present ministries are, in my opinion, just enough to meet the demands of modern-day Government.' Right: Kevin O'Brien Chang:'It (the call for a cut in the Cabinet) is a red herring, given the enormity of the problems facing Jamaica.'

Political analysts are at odds over whether Prime Minister Bruce Golding's 16-member Cabinet should be reduced and how it might be done.

Former parliamentarian, Claude Clarke, strongly suggested that Golding should fashion a new Cabinet instead of tinkering with the existing one, while businessman Kevin O'Brien Chang and attorney-at-law Patrick Bailey are firmly of the view that the size of the Cabinet is just right.

Clarke, a former minister in the People's National Party administration of the 1990s, is in total agreement with a smaller Cabinet of no more than 12, but would not be drawn into saying which of the current ministers should be axed.

"It is a flawed approach to cut ministries," he declared. "I would start with what is required of the Government in the modern context."

Cabinet unworkable

Clarke characterised the existing Cabinet as demonstrably inefficient, ineffective, inappropriate and unworkable. "I can't tell you what areas to cut as all the functions of governance have to be carried out."

However, he was emphatic in stating that the current Cabinet is much too large for a country and economy of Jamaica's size.

Clarke argued that the responsibilities must first be fashioned to fit into a new structure. "What you then do is assign comparative responsibilities in a coordinated way, then tie in the necessary responsibilities to that structure."

A political problem

He was not confident that Golding was inclined to carve a new-look Cabinet, given the numerical challenges in Parliament. "The (size of the) Cabinet should be no more than 12; it's easily done, but it presents him (Golding) with a political problem," he said.

According to Clarke, the current Cabinet helps Golding maintain parliamentary order on his side by ensuring that he has the majority of members in the executive. "He has a serious political problem in reducing the executive to appropriate size as he has to keep his backbench almost to zero."

O'Brien Chang, on the other hand, characterised the call for a slimmer executive as a distraction.

"It is a red herring, given the enormity of the problems facing Jamaica," he said.

He also accused the Opposition of playing to the gallery and noted that "Barbados has an even bigger Cabinet".

Just enough

O'Brien Chang enjoyed support from Patrick Bailey, who said "The present ministries are, in my opinion, just enough to meet the demands of modern-day Government."

Bailey suggested there was a danger in cutting the ministries as it could result in the merging of various portfolio subjects into other ministries, creating super ministries which can be unwieldy and cumbersome.

"In any event, the savings from these mergers are likely to be marginal because you will find more and more persons being called directors general rather than permanent secretaries," he argued.

Slash parish councils

He suggested that, in such a scenario, one ministry could have more than one director general at salaries comparable to that of the permanent secretary.

Joan Williams, political analyst, suggested that the parish councils should be an area of focus for slashing expenses.

"There is too much overlapping ... I would cut the parish councils; most of them are not functioning properly," she said.

She said a study was needed on the role of the parish councils, particularly in light of the fuel tax, a portion of which is to go to the Road Maintenance Fund.

"Why is there need for parish council and roads?" she asked.

gary.spaulding@gleanerjm.com

'There is too much overlapping ... I would cut the parish councils; most of them are not functioning properly. Why is there need for parish council and roads?'

- Joan Williams