KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Labour and Social Security, Karl Samuda, says that instead of issuing farm work tickets, his ministry has asked each parliamentarian to recommend 50 people for recruitment.

The minister made the announcement today on the adjournment of the House of Representatives, as he informed the members that e-mails had been sent to them, instead of farm work cards, asking for their recommendations.

Samuda told his colleagues in the House that with the digitization of his Ministry, there was no need for “hardcopy” notifications, like the cards, with respect to the Overseas Employment Programme which is currently recruiting Jamaicans for the new season.

“So many of you, if you look at your email would have seen that the numbers were sent out today, as to what we are allocating for every Member of Parliament, and you may proceed to make recommendations as you did previously, “ he stated.

“I am imploring every Member of Parliament to convene small meetings and to make an assessment, as to the likely success of the candidate that is going to be put forward your recommended candidates to go overseas,” he insisted.

However, Opposition MPs, Angela Brown Burke and the Leader of Opposition Business, Anthony Hylton, were not amused as they suggested that there were political considerations in dealing with the applicants when they visit the ministry.

Brown Burke said she is hoping that the processing is done in an open and transparent manner and suggested that persons were being asked “which MP sent you?” when they go to the Ministry and they find it a problem.

“We are seeing people developing a view that who sent you plays a big role in (terms of) who gets placed in the programme,” Brown Burke suggested.

Hylton also raised the point that people from his constituency might have gone to the Ministry to ask some questions, and were told to go to their MP, “as if they are aware that we have tickets, presently, to give.

“And when you say to them that you do not have any tickets, because whatever you had has been issued and no recruitment is taking place, there is a disbelief about that,” he argued.

“It is so widespread that I am now of the view that it is not an individual. It is a systemic issue and I believe some conversation should be had with the Ministry staff as a whole,” Hylton suggested.

However, Samuda insisted that the new process of inviting up to 50 recommendations from MPs by way of e-mails, instead of handing out cards, should reduce the possibility of any favouritism.

“You will not get a request from a farm work card you hand out. You have no authority to appoint anyone. There is no Member of Parliament in here, including myself, that can appoint a person to be a part of the programme. What we can do is to make recommendations,” he insisted.

He said that the programme is managed by a very efficient team at the Ministry and all elements of doubt have been removed from the question of preferential treatment. It is not likely that any such accusation can be successful against the new process, he added.

Samuda also warned the MPs that there was growing concern among the US and Canadian employers about the number of Jamaicans who were going AWOL [Absent With-out Leave] on the programme.

“A number of persons are using this opportunity, once arriving in Canada or the United States, and especially in parts of Canada, where it is increasing and very worrisome because it will ultimately affect the entire programme,” he cautioned.

“They have already contacted us, with a view to holding discussions with a view to see what can be done to at least reduce the incidents of persons leaving the employment and just simply disappearing in the country,” Samuda said.