Analysts Peter Wickham and Dr Don Marshall yesterday underscored the importance of having safeguards in place against the councils – proposed partly to help communities finance some projects – being abused.

The two made the comments while taking part in Starcom Network Inc.'s Brasstacks Sunday radio call-in programme, which focussed on the new Cabinet and the leadership and line-up of the opposition.

"I am anxious to see how it will unfold," Wickham admitted. "I am just concerned that these community councils don't become another slush fund, another pork barrel, with communities being given $100 000 to spend under the direction of a member of Parliament, 10 of whom are still Barbados Labour Party MPs."

The term "pork barrel" is commonly used as a political metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for projects that are intended primarily to benefit particular constituents or campaign contributors.

"However they design it (the community council project), it needs to have a strong balance in terms of community membership to ensure that (communities fully benefit)," Wickham added.

Meanwhile, Marshall said: "What would be useful would be to see what the systems of accountability or responsibility would be following the announcement of these new ministries.

" ... You don't want to have, say, DLP [Democratic Labour Party] branch offices in the different constituencies dominating the constituency councils. You don't want a substitute then of that over what we have grown accustomed to, where members of the branch of the Government dominate the constituency council," he added.

Marshall added that it would alienate people who were proud, and justifiably so, of the political party of their choice.

Both political analysts then conceded that they were not surprised that MP for St Lucy, Denis Kellman, was not included in the Cabinet announced Saturday night.

And, Marshall said the Prime Minister might have taken the position because Kellman did not always follow the party's line on issues. (TY)