Empty title! Sharie calls for more authority in Junior Minister role
First-term legislator and At-Large Representative Sharie de Castro has called for a more clearly defined role for junior ministers.
“Without a clearly defined job description and role classification along with the requisite budget to support its execution, this role in its current form is just an empty title,” de Castro said while speaking during the House of Assembly’s budget debate yesterday.
Because of the absence of a clearly defined role, de Castro said the junior minister is often unable to respond to demands directly and is usually circumvented whenever support is required.
She also argued that the role does not have the necessary authority to effectively respond to the needs or concerns of residents.
According to the first-term legislator, when the Junior Minister post was first introduced in 2015, there was no supporting structure introduced in tandem with it.
She said it was indicated back then that junior ministers would assist in the performance of ministerial functions relating to economic development and that exact portfolio would be agreed on through the recommendation of the Premier.
Grappling with the ambiguity
As a junior minister herself, de Castro said she has been grappling with the ambiguity of the role for some time now and has resorted to seeking a legal opinion from the Attorney General’s Chambers.
According to de Castro, the Attorney General’s Chambers said the role would benefit from a well-defined job description since no piece of legislation spoke to the role specifically.
“It is clear that no further evaluation has been performed since the inception of these roles to determine optimal engagement of the role itself,” de Castro stated.
She said she believed an urgent assessment of the post was needed. She further said this assessment should incorporate considerations about structure as well as a budgetary allocation for the role.
Despite all of this though, de Castro said she felt the role is actually relevant at this time and can prove beneficial when used effectively to the advancement of any subject matter in the interest of economic development.
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all the issues out here and this is your focus….disappointed much
elected representatives should not be given out money AT ALL
Oh! you found your Voice for great Autonomy.. mmmmmm
She only concerned with their power and authority. What about what we elected you for? When will you do anything we hired you for? Wasted my vote on you.
My girl You got the most votes, Heck i even voted for ya. and i was an ndp. Pleased put your footdown . And MAKE A STANDS. Tell Albert you need a Right and proper Portfolio no Childs play.
Another VIP disappointment
The Code requires a written job description. Also your take on the Speaker’s extramural expenditure was half-a**ed, which applies to all who sit on the fence.
COMPLETE waste of f**king time!!!!!!!
What you just wrote there and what some others have said above is just terrible. Holding politicians feet to the fire or accountable does not mean they have to be demeaned and lambasted.
Decent people will never run for politics because of attitudes and comments like yours. They discourage decent and capable people from seeking office, and the country will always end up with people who are thought of as “a waste of time”.
No person of integrity, wisdom, and in their right minds with all the good intention will expose themselves and their families to this kind of vitriol some in the public throw at them. That hurts the country.
If you think the Jr. Minister is a waste of time, may I suggest you contest the next election, and if you are successful, do a better job. It’s easy to sit on the side lines and critique others.
I think the Junior minister was bold and courageous in saying that her junior role in its current form is just an empty title. Nothing is wrong with that. That needed to be said and heard.
In order for change to occur, one first has to identify the problem. What should happen now is that the Jr. Minister’s complaint be taken seriously and addressed. Give her title teeth.
In the mindset of better governance, clearly defined roles and budgets to operate is a must. Without it, what can the person do? Their hands are tied.
I support the Jr. Minister here, and I hope people are listening and taking her seriously.
Keep outta deh kitchen if yo cant tek deh heat
I agree with you in this respect, if the Junior Minister is of the opinion that her Junior Role needs more teeth or a clearer mandate she has every right to say so. It is important that she says so to the persons that can make the change and if no response there, to bring it to the people. Great idea.
What I cannot understand is how the biggest vote getter, who is obviously very intelligent has not chosen a platform and worked hard to achieve in that area. In fact I will go so far as to say she does not have to start from scratch since she campaigned on important issues and won over voters. What has she done since she has been elected to fulfill those mandates? Has she asked her leader, the Minister of Finance, to finance anything in this regard? What is her passion? Where does she want to see her beloved BVI in the years to come?
You see it is easy to put blame when you have not tried, but the facts as I see them are very simple. Hon. de Castro has dropped the ball. She was the leading vote getter and then promptly went to sleep. She has had more resources than the District Reps, being At Large, to start and fund projects even small ones. Beautification issues in our capital are lacking, our schools are woefully in need of intervention. Where is she? The Althea Scatliffe School is dark, dank and falling apart. Can’t you come up with a plan to spruce up that school on the inside. Lighting along will assist. Where is she? If you have to be told when to move and what to do every day, then this job is not for you.
So please do not say the criticisms on social media will discourage others from running for politics. If they are lazy tell them to please stay away. Being a servant of the people is hard work and some people are just not cut out for it. The money handed to representatives every quarter is not for handouts to secure votes. It is for the populace as a whole. She is an at large representative. I have heard nothing she has done in my interest or my child’s interest? Have you?
Thanks for that response. I have no issue with your general response. Every elected member of the House of Assembly should be held to account for their record. The difference between your response and the one I responded to is that you came with receipts. You were not trashing her. You were pointing out her deficiencies as you see them. Thats fair.
I nevertheless believe that the harsh criticism we level at these politicians causes some good people who might want ti throw their hats/wigs in the ring may be reluctant to.
We can and should call them out on their deficiencies but we can be respectful in doing so.
Take a chill pill. Ministers and other Elected Representatives will always be lamblasted. (rightly or wrongly). while I do not condone constant criticism of another person, at times criticism can be very useful. SHarrie should have known what she was getting into before she ran for politics. She needs to man up /woman up!! We need action people in there who would work like a horse and not sit idle. Who cares what the blog says as long as she knows that she is putting forth her best. she will be ok. SHe will loose next time but she will be ok.
It is decent and people who should be at the helm . So I do not agree with you ?
The ship has no one who would stand up … thus the ship is sinking . The crew is following a blind captain whoseGPS is spinning in all directions. No focus
We need leaders with backbone and DNA
of right doing,
Integrity
Stand up under fire in the face of national disaster
Who woukd stand for right for all social classes and not for friends and family
You did not have the experience and know how for the job you were elected to do. Plain and simple. This is the case with you and three quarters of your team including your leader.
You hit the nail on the head with that comment. That is the heart of the problem there. Leadership sorely lacking experience and maturity. It’s the blind leading the blind. Also I find she waited long to say she has no job description. Lady you’ve been on the job for 3 plus years! And as others have said, as an at large candidate you must surely be able to find ways to be impactful job description or not. Come on! Make a difference or get out of the way!
Your problem is that you have a leader who is a micro manager. He is the substantive holder of the position and he will not allow you to do anything without his involvement or approval. We never heard these complaints under the former government because the Premier then allowed the junior ministers to do the job and provided support. The problem is not your role, the problem is your leader and his narcissistic attitude. He is power hungry and likes to control everything.
You don’t need a Ministry or big title to have an impact. Tells how green you are.
Thank you very much. Plus the little she was given what has she done? Nothing…
“since the inception of these roles to determine optimal engagement of the role itself”
What’s that all about???
Just say ‘don’t have any idea what’s going on’…or maybe just keep your mouth shut; and we will no know how dumb you are…
Too much power concentrated in the Office of the Premier.
EMPTY VESSEL
Waste of my vote
So she doesn’t know what her role is but she needs more money to execute it properly. Good one!!
If she has no job but just a title – then there is no job to do. Save the $ and let her go.
The Premier say he task her with coming up with a tourism plan for the territory for the next 10 years and he said it would be ready by the end of the year… we at the end of the year.. Any update on that?
I am ABSOLUTELY dumbfounded reading some of these reader comments. Most of them espouse negativity toward the young minister seemingly from a place of ignorance and gealousy as apposed to a place of encouragement and growth. Whats probably funny is that many of these biased bloggers will smile in this lady’s face when meeting in person. So sad!
Young lady I applaud and encourage you to continue to speak up and speak out as circumstances demand.
Stop applauding mediocrity because that is what her performance as a government leader has been to date. Mediocre. Ineffective. This is the reason why our country is sinking. We are content time and time again to accept and settle for mediocrity and less from ourselves and our leaders! Let’s have some standards. The young minister has waited 3 plus years to plead that she has no job description. Okay…let’s forgive her for that but what can she point to in the meantime as an at large representative as examples of her usefulness as an elected leader with the million and one
issues our country has faced since this government took on the leadership? Many have said they she has been missing in action. Can she defend that? Oh perhaps she doesn’t need to because as your say we should just leave her be. I’ve decided she is there for her good looks. She was once our reigning Miss BVI after all.
If you can really your next to female back bencher to unite with you and hold one head and demand what you all need or you will change the govt. I don’t think Fahie want to be opposition…He will listen to u all and try accommodate you all…