Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley called for an increase in the monthly parliamentary stipend allocated to MPs to provide assistance to constituents.
He described the current amount as “a joke”, and most inadequate to respond to the needs of constituents. He asked Government to reconsider it.
He made the call while paying tribute to late Christ Church West Central parliamentarian Joseph Edghill whose legacy is not to be found in capital infrastructure projects or in tangibles symbols such as community monuments, but in his efforts to build a sense of community in a constituency that had developed in some of its prominent areas, a reputation more negative than it was positive.
Atherley said too often politicians committed to their constituents have to pull their own pockets to respond to emergency needs of constituents.
He was one of several parliamentarians who paid tribute in a resolution in which the contribution of Edghill, who died a year ago, was recognised.
Members of Edghill’s family, including his wife Angela, were present in the House. (GC)
