THE EDITOR, Sir:
This is just an idea: The Government of Jamaica should consider replacing the Social and Economic Support Programme (SESP) with constituency budgets.
This could take the following procedure, inter alia:
1. Each current Member of Parliament could prepare a one-year maintenance budget to be submitted to the Ministry of Finance by a specific date, prior to the beginning of the government's next fiscal year, 2006/2007.
2. The budgets would show the expected sources of revenue and the schedule of maintenance expenditure, on a priority-listed basis, for the constituencies.
3. The Ministry of Finance would then collect and consolidate the 60 constituency maintenance budgets to ascertain the total revenue inflows needed and the total outflow of maintenance expenditure for the country.
4. Based on the level of revenue inflows expected by the Ministry of Finance and other relevant revenues, e.g. local rates, the ministry will advise, by an appropriate or agreed method, each Member of Parliament, the number and scope of those maintenance projects which can be financed in the constituency for the ensuing financial year.
5. Once all Members of Parliament have gone through their initial year's constituency budget, the Ministry of Finance could issue guidelines to each Member of Parliament on how to project maintenance and capital budget for the remainder of years that they have in office.
When a new term of office begins, the Ministry of Finance would reissue the guidelines to the new Members of Parliament.
I am, etc.,
FITZ CASSERLY
Kingston 8
