Full Text|'An affront to proper order'...House Speaker criticises Opposition over walkout

House Speaker Juliet Holness has criticised today’s walkout by the Opposition during the sitting of Parliament.

Opposition members and Holness clashed this afternoon over the asking of questions to Water and Environment Minister Matthew Samuda, following a statement he made to update the public on the Government’s preparations for Tropical Storm Melissa.

Holness argued that the questions being posed were unrelated to the statement and that the push by Opposition members to go into other matters breached Parliament’s Standing Orders.

The Opposition disagreed and accused the House Speaker of being unfair and engaging in improper conduct.

However, in a media release Tuesday night, Holness argued that it was the Opposition that acted poorly, stating that the business before the House must always be conducted strictly in accordance with the Standing Orders.

“The subsequent walkout by Members of the Opposition was regrettable, to say the least, but worse — an affront to the proper order of the House, a breach of parliamentary decorum, and, ultimately, it undermined the interest of the people of Jamaica whom we are all elected to serve,” she charged.

“Members, I remain committed to following the Standing Orders impartially, firmly, and without fear or favour. This is the House of Representatives — it is a chamber for serious, respectful, and disciplined debate in the interest of the people of Jamaica,” she added.

Full Statement

It is regrettable that the Leader of Opposition led a walkout during today’s sitting.

The business before the House must always be conducted strictly in accordance with the Standing

Orders. The actions of Speakers are guided solely by the Standing Orders, and Speakers are

compelled to act to preserve order, uphold the rules, and maintain the integrity of our proceedings.

The disruption today arose during Statements by Ministers when a Member of the Opposition

attempted to introduce a matter that was procedurally improper. The question posed by the Member

for South East St Mary clearly related to payment to contractors and settlement of invoices and

was outside of the allowed questions based on the statement by Minister. Having assessed the

content of the question against the relevant rules, it was determined out of order as the subject

matter was not within the official cognizance of the Minister tasked with responding to the question

and therefore breached rules governing the propriety and content of questions presented to the

House.

The ruling was based on the clear provisions of the Standing Orders:

 Standing Order 16(1)(a) provides that the proper object of a question is “to obtain

information on a question of fact within the official cognizance of the Minister to whom it

is addressed, or to ask for official action.”

 Standing Order 16(1)(g)(8) and (11) prohibit questions asking whether statements in the

press or by private individuals (which would include private contractors) are accurate, or

Page 2 of 2

questions concerning the actions of a Minister for which he is not responsible to the

Legislature.

 Standing Order 16(1)(h) further prohibits questions that solicit an opinion or pose a

hypothetical proposition.

Following that clear and justified ruling, both the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of

Opposition Business rose at separate intervals and attempted to make unsolicited statements

challenging the ruling and the conduct of the sitting. This was especially concerning given that the

Leader of Opposition Business had previously approached the bench, where the Speaker suggested

we suspend the sitting to discuss a reasonable way forward and he refused. Instead of finding an

amicable solution, efforts were made to continue the matter publicly in defiance of the ruling.

It was a clear attempt to usurp or publicly undermine the authority of the Speaker.

Worse, the Leader of the Opposition gave instructions to his members to refrain from asking

questions and from furthering the people’s business in protest of the ruling.

The subsequent walkout by Members of the Opposition was regrettable to say the least, but worse

an affront to the proper order of the house, a breach of parliamentary decorum, and, ultimately,

undermined the interest of the people of Jamaica whom we are all elected to serve.

Members, I remain committed to following the Standing Orders impartially, firmly, and without

fear or favour. This is the House of Representatives —it is a chamber for serious, respectful, and

disciplined debate in the interest of the people of Jamaica.

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.