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‘Speaker Ingrid A. Moses is one-sided’ – Julio ‘Sam’ Henry
Henry made the comment when he called into the Speak Out BVI radio show hosted by Doug Wheatley on ZBVI 780 AM last evening September 9, 2014.
“It is my opinion, Doug, using my own observation, when the debate came recently and the Government gave their evidence, all of the Government officials did their thing. The Opposition did their thing. At the end of the debate the Speaker of the House chastised the Opposition,” he said.
“That is not really her purview. She does not weigh in on the debate, she has no say in the debate. Her job is to accept the debate from both sides and close out the session,” said Henry.
“She didn’t do that…she went on and ridiculed the Opposition for how they went about their part of the debate. She told them how they were using the protection of the House to call people’s names and call people out,” he said.
“The Government is who called people out. The Government is who introduced these people as credible sources. The Government is who mentioned the name of the companies, how much credible reputation they carried worldwide,” he said.
“And the Speaker has been doing that for the whole duration of the Sitting. She never once, never once disciplined the Minister for Communications and Works for his behaviour in the House which was uncalled for and unbecoming for a Minister,” he said, referring to the behaviour of Hon Mark H. Vanterpool at a recent sitting.
“People who support the system did not support that kind of behaviour…the Speaker does not have a say in the debate. The debate belongs to the members of the Legislature. Her job is to referee. Her job is to keep order. Her job is to keep people in line when they going out of line, not to come out and tell representatives to put your money where your mouth is, what kind of behaviour and language is that for a Speaker?” Henry asked.
Following Henry’s comments, Wheatley said that the Opposition pointed out very clearly what is said in Erskine May Parliamentary Practice that the Speaker is the Speaker and that she or he does not take sides in the debate but to see order is maintained and that people do things in the correct way.
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If not already the case, it should be a vote between both sides.
Source-National Democratic Institute for International Affairs