BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Feb. 14.2018 – FOLLOWING his recent suspension from the National Assembly for 10 days, Opposition Member of Parliament for Constituency Three, Hon. Konris Maynard says he will be sending a letter to the Speaker highlighting errors in that judgment.
MP Maynard told SKNVibes News that he is in the process of writing to the Speaker, Hon. Michael Perkins, noting that he will be in receipt of the letter before the week is out.
Since his suspension from the National Assembly for his behaviour - which Perkins deemed as gross disrespect – the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party member has vowed to return for next week’s sitting.
“I am in the process of writing to the Speaker to inform him of the error which he made. And I am hoping, in good conscience and noticing that he has made an error, he will easily and without assistance admit that I am not duly suspended from the House.”
Further the MP stated that the Speaker in his haste to have him suspended did not follow all procedures – including putting a motion to a vote.
“In parliament nothing, nothing is decided unless there is a vote. Nothing in the parliament; that the parliament decides, nothing is for the Speaker to decide but for parliament. It has to be done via a vote. So, although the motion was raised by the Leader of Government Business, there was no question put, which is a requirement under Section 49. 3 or 4-part A, that requires that once a motion is put on the floor a vote must be taken, Maynard explained.
He further noted that since the question was not put to the floor, he has not been duly suspended.
Additionally, he contends that the Speaker erred in his statement which claimed that he was previously suspended for five days.
“There is no record of that in the House of parliament. If you look back to the minutes which he is purported to be using or the sitting that he was referring to: In that sitting the minutes specifically say that I was asked to withdraw for the rest of the days sitting under Section 49.2.
“There is no record in the House of me being duly suspended for five days. And so, the Speaker is dead wrong, completely wrong to try and suspend me for 10 days,” he exclaimed.
Contacted for a comment, the Attorney general Vincent Byron indicated that he hopes Maynard abides by the judgment made by the Speaker.
