PM, Skerritt heckle Opposition Members
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LEADER of the Opposition and Deputy Political Leader of the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM), the Hon. Mark Brantley said there was no division between the Opposition over the ruling of the Speaker of the National Assembly on Thursday (Apr. 28).
Brantley was at the time responding to a CUOPM press release headlined “Opposition coalition divided on Speaker’s ruling, PAM representatives walk out”, in which the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary, Erasmus Williams, stated that the “CCM/PAM opposition coalition in the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly appears divided over a ruling by Speaker of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly, the Hon. Curtis Martin on an opposition-sponsored Bill, The Integrity in Public Life Bill, 2011”.
The issue stemmed from the walking out of Parliament by four members of the Opposition – the Hons. Shawn Richards, Eugene Hamilton and Vincent Byron Jr. of the People’s Action Movement and Brantley after the Speaker of the House refused to allow a motion to have the Order Paper amended.
The release read, “Following a ruling Tuesday morning by the Speaker that the draft Bill does not comply with the provisions of the 1983 Constitution and the Standing Orders of the National Assembly Elections, the Hon. Eugene Hamilton and Sen. the Hon. Vincent Byron, two members of the opposition representing the People’s Action Movement (PAM) attempted to challenge the Speaker’s ruling.
“After been told to sit, Sen. Byron rose from his seat and walked out. He was followed by Mr. Hamilton and the Hon. Shawn Richards, another opposition parliamentarian, also from the PAM.
“Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Political Leader of the CCM, Hon. Mark Brantley and the other CCM parliamentarian, the Hon. Vance Amory seemed to be in agreement with the ruling and remained seated although Mr. Brantley left the Chamber shortly after and returned later and participated in the proceedings.”
Brantley said there was no division between the coalition opposition, but total unity. He said he had walked out as a show of support to his colleagues but returned because he and his party’s Leader the Hon. Vance Amory, who had remained in Parliament, had contributions to make on another Bill.
He explained that in addition to supporting his colleagues, he had left to make a statement to the media.
Brantley told Winn FM 98.9 that he understood the reason for the walkout and he was displeased with the manner in which the issue was handled.
“Were it not for the contributions on the other matter, we too would have done likewise; because we are concerned about how it is that our Parliamentary process is being handled and we are being locked out…the country is being locked out…of a sensible and important public debate,” Brantley told Winn FM.
He noted that the government seemed afraid to have the Integrity legislation passed and asked, “Why is it the Labour-NRP administration appears afraid of Integrity in Public Life?”
He also told Winn FM that “the public must ask that question. They must ask it of the Prime Minster…they must ask it of the members on the government benches. We in the Opposition are clear that we support integrity in public life; the government must say what its position is”.
Brantley further said to Winn FM, “We are seeing through the Speaker’s Office efforts being made to derail any debate or discussion in the National Assembly on the issue of Integrity in Public Life.”
He stated that the Bill was a matter that was discussed and prepared, because the Speaker read from a prepared script and it was quite obvious that the intention and the decision were taken to shut down the Bill on bogus procedural grounds.
Brantley also said, “It was not the intention to have any debate on the Bill. The intention was to disseminate the Bill and have discussions on it as widely as possible, have consultations on it, so that the final form of the Bill could reflect the consensus from that consultation.”
At the opening of the sitting, Senator Byron Jr. rose to move a motion to have the Order Paper amended to include the Private Member’s Integrity in Public Life Bill to which Hamilton rose to second it. However, the Speaker of the House refused to recognise Hamilton and instead read a lengthy prepared statement ruling that the Bill was not eligible to be presented at the day’s sitting.
According to the Speaker, the Opposition-sponsored Integrity in Public Life Bill 2011 did not comply with the provisions of sections of the National Assembly Elections Act relating to the drafting of such bills and the constitutional requirement stipulated in the Standing Orders.
He therefore suggested that the Bill be prepared by the Parliamentary Counsel. He deemed it a “Money Bill” and said it would therefore need the approval of the Governor General, and it could not be presented to the House until those conditions were met.
The Speaker did not allow the Opposition members to speak further on the matter and told Hamilton that he always wanted to create confusion in the House of Assembly.
While that was taking place Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil Douglas was busy casting insults, saying that the Opposition member was talking “stupidness” and that the Speaker should “throw him out”.
Dr. Douglas was also heard telling Brantley, “Just hush…you see you, a going deal with you.”
Senator Ricky Skerritt also joined in the heckling and said, “Get up and leave man…Winn FM must be out there waiting on them.”
