Sick and tired of the attitude of some people in his constituency who rely on the State for benefits, North East St Andrew Member of Parliament (MP), Delroy Chuck has called for an end to hand-out politics.

"My only problem is that I have failed to bring prosperity to my inner-city community," said Chuck, who has been MP for the area which takes in tough communities such as Grants Pen and Barbican for 18 years.

Chuck charged fellow legislators to find ways to empower their constituents to create wealth for themselves and their families.

"I have sat with them many times, putting together economic reallocation programmes, but I know, and the members of the Government wouldn't like it, but we have a problem," Chuck said.

"There is a culture of mendicancy. They feel that the State must take them and support them from the cradle to the grave. It can't work," he added.

"We cannot continuously be giving them handouts, be giving them rehabilitation. It can't work!"

Individual responsibility

Chuck, who was speaking in the State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, said it is important for MPs to "explain to our people that you have an individual responsibility, and the State and the MP can help you, but just so far".

"Many of them, regrettably, they feel that when you give them assistance to buy a 50 or a 100 chicken, when dem sell it, you must provide them with another 50 or hundred chicken. The idea of turning it over and creating some prosperity for themselves escapes them," he added.

Going further, the MP, who is a member of the Opposition, Jamaica Labour Party, said there is no problem with the state providing assistance, but it cannot be continuous.

"When you assist them with a block-making machine and you give them couple loads of marl, a 50 bag of cement, they must understand that they must turn it over. You can't, every two or three month, give them two more loads of marl and another 50 bags of cement," Chuck said.

The State of the Constituency Debate is being used by Members of Parliament to talk about issues within the area they represent.

Damion Crawford, one of the MPs who spoke on Wednesday, said his constituency has been starved of the desired state funding to bring real change to the lives of the people.

He said that notwithstanding the limitations, he has used by the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) and the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to make significant interventions in East Rural St Andrew.

"Because of the demands of a very large rural constituency, we have been incapable of doing many welfare and sporting activities, and on occasions, Christmas work has been redirected to do road and water," Crawford said, pointing to improvements in Weise Road, which is now paved for the first time in over 40 years, as well as better roads in Taylor Land as examples of solid achievements under his watch.