BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – NOW that Ministers of the Labour Party administration have been appointed and the former Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Assembly, the Hon. Patrice Nisbett, is the Federation’s Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs and Justice, who is going to be appointed Deputy Speaker?
This is the burning question being asked by many. In some quarters it is surmised that with the Hon. Mark Brantley retaining his position as Leader of the Opposition and the People’s Action Movement (PAM) has to nominate a Senator, the Deputy Speaker would emerge from the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party.
In a press release dated Thursday (Feb. 25, 2010) and headlined “The Labour Government will have to rescind the appointment of its Ministers to accommodate the Deputy Speaker’s position” says MP Hamilton, the PAM is claiming that either Senators Nigel Carty or Richard Skerritt would have to fill that void.
The opening sentence in the press release reads, “Prime Minister Denzil Douglas’ attempt to fill his cabinet with unelected ministers to strengthen his own position as leader has created a quagmire for the Labour administration.”
It quotes Hamilton as saying, “Section 32(1) of the Constitution states that at its first meeting following any general election and ‘before it proceeds to dispatch any other business’, the National Assembly shall elect a Speaker, who, according to Section 32(2) may be: (a) a member of Parliament, provided that he or she is not a member of Cabinet or a Parliamentary Secretary a distinction to which I will return later on in this discussion); (b) a person who is not a member of Parliament but who is qualified for election as a Representative or appointment as a Senator.”
Additionally, Hamilton said, “Section 32(3) then states the next duty of the House of Assembly, after it has elected a Speaker is to elect its Deputy Speaker who has to be a Member of Parliament but cannot be a member of Cabinet.”
Hamilton also noted that in the recent Swearing-in Ceremony of the Labour Party administration, the unelected Nigel Carty and Richard Skerritt were appointed full-fledged Ministers, which has resulted in a situation where all persons on the government side are Ministers and Cabinet Members.
“This therefore means that according to the Constitution this disqualifies any of the Government Ministers from being elected Deputy Speaker unless one of the Ministerial appointments is rescinded,” Hamilton said, adding that the Constitution does not dictate that the Opposition has any obligation to appoint or provide a Deputy Speaker, but it however states clearly that a Deputy Speaker must be appointed.
“With the government side rampacked with some 9 ministers 2 of whom weren't elected, it is quite natural and frankly more sensible for us to adhere to our duty as the Opposition to appoint our Senator and that is all we intend to do. The supposedly 'experienced' Prime Minister appointed a Cabinet without considering that the Constitution dictates that he has an obligation to also appoint a Deputy Speaker. Our interest is to duly appoint our Senator and we leave the Government side to fix the matter relating to the Deputy Speaker,” Hamilton opined.
He declared that adherence to the Constitution would mean that for the Government to appoint a Deputy Speaker, it must rescind one of the Ministerial appointments made during the Swearing-in Ceremony.
“With Hon. Nigel Carty and Hon. Richard Skerritt being the only unelected members of the Parliament on the government side, it is foreseen that the appointments of one of these two will have to be rescinded so that either one can take up the position of Deputy Speaker,” Hamilton declared.
In an effort to garner a comment from a Minister of the Labour administration, SKNVibes tried to contact Prime Minister Douglas, Deputy Prime Minister Sam Condor, Senior Minister Timothy Harris and Attorney General Patrice Nisbett but was told that they all were off island. However, Minister Marcella Liburd was contacted but at press time no comment was forthcoming.
