Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller says parliamentarians in the Commonwealth will have to take a serious look at how they can restore trust.

She was addressing the 37th Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association –Caribbean, the Americas and Atlantic Region in New Kingston this morning.

Simpson Miller said that globally the voting public in less and less numbers are choosing to exercise their franchise.

She said commonwealth parliamentarians will have to determine whether the root of the low citizen confidence and public discontent results from a dereliction of duty on the part of political representatives or the result of a more demanding public.

She noted that the broadening of the information landscape, including the use of social media, the mind of the citizen is now fully open and exposed.

She said the debate is no longer confined to the Parliament.

Simpson Miller said this means that the governance process has become more inclusive.

She said the citizen has a greater demand to be heard and to be part of the process.

In addition, Simpson Miller said the terms of the contract between the voting public and their representatives have been widened.

Simpson Miller said parliamentarians cannot expect our democracies to remain vibrant and our governance structure fully responsive to the needs of our constituents without the re-building of citizen confidence.