For many struggling families, help with a medical bill or funeral expenses can make a major difference. But should that assistance come directly from a government minister? Prime Minister John Briceño says ministers need their allowances to support constituents, but the Public Service Union says the arrangement blurs the line between public assistance and political patronage. With no published criteria, accessible records or appeals process, the union argues that government should replace discretionary handouts with transparent public programs. Here is how the Prime Minister responded when we asked whether those funds encourage political clientelism.
Paul Lopez
“There is also the side these allowances, even the constituency development fund, is used to fuel clientelism, to keep voters loyal to you.”
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I don’t know where you get that from. The idea is that the constituency development fund is a way where the Area Representative can make immediate decision in helping their constituency. The way it was done before, you have to go to rural development or the ministry for local government of infrastructure development or housing to do small works, for example you need to fix a drain, or fix a door for a school or do some kind of work in a community. So we decided to make that money available based on the number of voters you have, to every area representative, PUP and UDP alike, so it think it has been very successful. It has nothing to do with clientelism or whatever you want to call it. It is simply that we are finding ways how we can get help and how we can serve our people most effectively and most efficiently.”
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