There is undoubtedly no Parliament in the world which does not end up in an uproar, with a considerable degree of frequency, sometimes over serious matters and other times resulting from frivolous issues which, ideally, and peaceably, could be swept under the rug. The Anguilla House of Assembly is therefore no exception to this unfortunate situation, but the fact that it happens elsewhere is no excuse that it should occur in littleAnguillaand at a level that raises eyebrows.
Predominantly, it is the Speaker’s responsibility to maintain a sense of decorum, fair play and respect in the Chamber, and particularly to guide one’s own conduct in exercising the powers vested in the appointeeby both the Instruments ofAppointment and the Rules of Procedure.
It is becoming all too frequent to hear about, and/or witness, what may be described as growing disturbing trends in the House of Assembly inAnguilla. There appears to be a runaway situation with one common complaint being that, because of parliamentary privilege and immunity from prosecution, some Members use the House as a shield to launch unfair, libelous and scotching attacks on defenseless persons in the community. This and noisy personal feuds within the Assembly, getting in the way of the business of the people of the island, are matters that need to be urgently addressed by the Speaker. It is unfortunate, however, that little or no attention is being paid to this malady.
Another disturbing trend, which is causing some public concern, if not outcry, surrounds how the sitting Speaker is perceived to perform her role and whether in some cases she exceeds that role. Her powers, as the person who heads the House of Assembly, no doubt carry a considerable weight of authority, yet if allowed to be tempered by a spirit of humility and fairness it would be difficult for accusing fingers to be pointed in her direction.
A current criticism is how she dealt with the Deputy Speaker who, having been approached by the media for his views, said she should not have given her opinion on a matter related to the Vehicles and Road Traffic Act. The Deputy also said that a Speaker should remain neutral and never take sides. Of course, it is known that a power of the Speaker, when so required, is to exercise a casting vote, one way or another, to break a tie in a vote between both sides of the House – but that was not the matter referred to here.A casting vote is perhaps one of the few such roles a Speaker can perform. The criticism has to do with the Speaker’s refusal to allow what the Deputy said was his right to respond to “a vicious attack” on him by her.
The Speaker made it clear that she was not going to entertain any discussion or debate on the matter. And so it was that no one else dared to join the Deputy in an attempt to respond. It is understood that quite wrongly, the impression was given that the Speaker’s statement was in some way linked to an opinion of the Attorney General. That was obviously a matter for him to deal with.The concern expressed by members of the public is that, however offended the Speaker might have been by the remarks of her Deputy, democracy should have been allowed to prevail in the House. When democracy appears not to be practiced in such a high and honourable law-making institution, it sends a depressing signal of dictatorship, and lack of freedom of speech, to all levels of society that is most unfortunate.
Another issue was a statement made by the Chief Minister, in the House, in which he pressed for a named person to be placed in the Attorney General’s Chambers to review draft Bills before they are taken to the Assembly. Critics argue that the Bar Association, with its wide mix of legal and intellectual prowess, has been doing a good job at this with little or no conflict; and that it was not for the Chief Minister to bring the matter to the House.
To sum up, there is a need to ensure that the House of Assembly pays particular attention to control what appears to be a number of growing disturbing trends, in the way it conducts its business, in order to safeguard its ownstanding and respect in the community.
