BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AFTER an appalling and shameful display during the previous sitting of the Federal Parliament by some members of the legislative body, Speaker of the House the Hon. Franklyn Brand has taken responsibility for it and has appealed for the legislators to conduct themselves in a manner befitting their offices.
At the opening of Thursday’s (Dec. 10) sitting of the House of Assembly, Speaker Brand said he received numerous complaints about decorum in the House.
“…I want to comment on the feedback that I have received about the conduct at the last Parliament. I have received a deluge of complaints about the decorum of that Assembly and I want to tell the general public that I, as Speaker of the National Assembly, take full responsibility for the conduct of that sitting.”
The session was characterised by incessant cross talk, disregard for the Speaker in some cases and use of unparliamentary language, among other things.
The Speaker said he reviewed the video recording from that sitting and one of the infractions which he noted was that one of the Parliamentarians took a cell phone call while the House was in session.
“Upon reviewing some of the video, apparently there was a member who answered a phone call in this Assembly and also that is a terrible act because it’s very disrespectful. We ought not to be doing that. And when we have our Standing Orders Committee I would expect that there be a policy regarding the use of electronic devises in this Honourable House. We are here to conduct the people’s business not our personal business, and any electronic devise that we use should be to assist us in the conduct of the people’s business.”
Brand, who began his stint as Speaker of the House earlier this year, expressed that the conduct during that particular session led him to conclude that his approach, as the life of the House progresses, must change.
He appealed to the Parliamentarians to conduct themselves in a more respectable manner.
“My approach going forward certainly will not be the same after such a display. I take responsibility for it. Whether I was present or not, I take responsibility for it…I am going to ask the members of this honourable house to remember that we have been put here to conduct people’s business to debate legislation, to debate ideas.
“This is not about clashing personalities. I am going to ask members to conduct themselves in a fit and proper manner. Certainly, I as Speaker have taken responsibility will have to recalibrate the rules of engagement as regards members and misconduct and unfit and improper behaviour in this Honourable House. I am therefore asking for your support. I am asking for a change in the culture in this Parliament. We have to conduct ourselves with respect for one another. Yes, it’s an adversarial system but we must respect each other. Thank you very much…”
