Call to strengthen Public Service

Instead of reducing the number of members in the House of Assembly, Barbados needs to “do everything it takes to strengthen the Public Service”.

That was the recommendation from Government backbencher Marsha Caddle recently, who said she was “bemused to see recent comments that suggested that there are too many MPs (Members of Parliament)”.

Speaking in the Upper Chamber recently during debate on the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Parliament (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, 2025, Independent Senator Andrew Mallalieu asserted that Barbados had too many parliamentarians.

Caddle, during debate on the Public Service (Appointments) Bill, 2025, said fewer MPs was not the answer, suggesting that improving public sector processes and systems was the more viable solution and outcome which would ultimately benefit constituents.

“I was bemused to see recent comments that suggested that there are too many MPs, and the irony of the origin of the comment from an unelected official with a platform to be able to say that . . . if there are 30 MPs, we estimate that they have 7 000 constituents each,” said the representative for St Michael South Central.

“Well, first of all, there are some that have 10 000 [constituents], but not only that . . . the MP now will sit weekly and meet in her or his clinic dozens of those . . . constituents, and enter in her system or in their notebook the range of requests and concerns that then have to . . . be directed to all the many different organs and tentacles of Government.”

Caddle noted that “Barbadians are very dignified people and public officers tend to take great pride in their office, and they also tend to have a lot of respect for your office and so it is a function of that respect that means that an MP will tend to have a positive relationship with a public officer”.

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