Following the General Election of 29th June, 2020, statements emanating from public officials suggested that concerted efforts had been, and will continue to be, made to improve Anguilla’s parliamentary practices. The arrangements for, and conduct of, the first meeting of the Twelfth Anguilla House of Assembly suggests that there is real potential for continued improvement in the conduct of meetings of the House of Assembly. I suspect that much of the credit for the professionalism exhibited around the first meeting of the Twelfth House of Assembly must be attributed to the Clerk, Lenox (Joash)Proctor.
It is apparent that Mr. Proctor, since his appointment as Clerk to the House of Assembly, has worked with Speakers of the House to secure the assistance of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) in improving parliamentary practice in Anguilla. The fact that arrangements were in train for a Post Election Seminar, prior to the General Election,of 29th June, 2020, is indeed a good sign. The following were the expected outcomes of the Seminar.
1) New and returning parliamentarians will have an in-depth understanding of parliamentary practice and procedure and the skills to legislate, scrutinise, provide oversight, and represent their communities to the highest practices in line with CPA Benchmarks.
2) Anguilla and other Commonwealth parliamentarians and officials will have an understanding of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association including, its purpose, values and opportunities.
It is hoped that the outcomes identified are being realised and that officials will demonstrate continued proactiveness as they seek to improve parliamentary practice in Anguilla. Sadly, our best intentions are often foiled by our human failings. Will that be the case in relation to aspirations to improve our parliamentary practices?
Decorum in the Anguilla House of Assembly has traditionally been a challenge. It must, however, be acknowledged that during the period 2015 to 2020 we saw a considerable improvement in the behaviour exhibited by parliamentarians during sittings of the House, when compared to prior years. Will we see parliamentarians revert to previous bad habits, or will they walk the talk and reflect even further improvements in their conduct in the House?
Politics under the Westminster System is, by its nature, adversarial. The cut and thrust of debate in the House of Assembly is to be expected and, if done well, is often to be admired. However, the foray into the gutter, where members engage in personal attacks and use the safety afforded them by parliamentary privilege to vilify members and non-members of the House, is totally repugnant to a real desire to achieve improvements in parliamentary practice and procedure.
The third meeting of the Twelfth Anguilla House of Assembly, which took place on Friday 21st August, 2020, has created doubt in the minds of some that we will see continued improvements in the conduct of our parliamentarians. While some hostility and deliberate baiting were obvious during some presentations, I remain hopeful that the desired outcomes of the Post Election Seminar will be realised. Experience, inexperience and youthful exuberance all manifested themselves as different parliamentarians made their presentations, during the third meeting. This mix can be used to best advantage, to assist in achieving the desired outcomes of the Post Election Seminar, if parliamentarians are open to learning from each other, rather than simply scoring points on each other.
With real effort and commitment on the part of our parliamentarians, the cut and thrust associated with party politics can be practised in an environment that reflects and promotes proper parliamentary practice and procedure. This would be a huge signal to all of us – as we strive to improve our governance structures in all spheres of life in Anguilla. Will our parliamentarians take up this challenge? Only time will tell.
