Ronald Thwaites | Are any adults left in Parliament?

Last Tuesday's burlesque in Parliament was entirely the fault of House Speaker Pearnel Charles and the members on the Government side. Christopher Tufton gave a creditable statement regarding a grave matter of public concern - the crisis at Cornwall Regional Hospital.

He ran over the time normally allotted for statements by ministers, but this was quite justified, given the importance of the issue and the detail required. No one minded. The speaker properly exercised discretion in allowing him to complete.

Dayton Campbell responded fulsomely and critically. As shadow minister, he was obliged to do so. You could see Government members flinch at the sharpness of his comment and his command of the facts. He, too, ran over the prescribed time, again as was to be expected given the scope of the minister's original statement.

As Campbell's words began to bite, the heckling started and Charles tried to curtail him. But for what purpose? Nothing in his address or the questions he tried to ask subsequently could be considered irrelevant. Some comments questioned the good faith of the minister, to which he responded sternly. So what was amiss?

Then the speaker, prompted by his fellow Labourites, tried to restrict the questions that Campbell and other members could ask, in clear violation of the Standing Orders. And why? If there is nothing suspicious or untoward in the Government's handling of the Cornwall Regional Hospital debacle, why the frantic effort to protect the minister of health from answering any and all questions as he should be prepared, and seemed ready, to do?

So instead of quelling concern about Tufton's conduct, his colleagues increased suspicion about him, hardly assuaged by Karl Samuda's weak promise that, perhaps in the hope that public worry would dissipate by then, more queries would be answered some time later. Why not right then?

What followed was Vaz's eruption, a silly motion to defer questions; the inevitable filibuster by the Opposition, the habitual nastiness of response until maybe exhaustion and a sense of utter pointlessness led to an end of the charade - for now.

Speaker Charles must want to be remembered as a fair and effective presider over the House. But he shows no strength for the rantings on the Government side and reserves his bromides for the Opposition, who then are not shy in responding to the provocation.

 

POOR ROLE MODELS

 

Throughout Tuesday's sitting, I tried to direct some members to the shocked faces of the children in the gallery. We taught them a powerful lesson of how to bully to get what you want; of tribalism, crassness and disrespect all dressed up in suit and tie, wig and gown, and sporting titles of Honourable and, yes, Most Honourable.

Worst of all must be the story of the young adults welcomed by Charles as coming on a prize trip from a place of safety in his constituency. And what a prize they went home with! But who cares?

During it all, Andrew Holness sat untroubled, engrossed in his telephone and papers. Nigel Clarke looked wan and confused, probably wondering what the hell he had got himself into.

No wonder half the voters in this country have written us off as diversionary, self-absorbed or corrupt. This Parliament is in danger of becoming a nuisance theatre, across which stage triumphalistic government policy has to be bullied through.

Then there is the Opposition, still jaded, mostly reactive, with as yet only an incomplete strategy and often unprepared for the raw and vulgar power grab of the other side.

The ergonomics of Gordon House contributed to the past week's mayhem. If we sat not as warring tribes across the aisle spewing at each other, but in a semicircle, according to the parishes we represent, the sheer closeness to another human person trying to do the same thing you are would perhaps engender more mutual respect.

As Peter Bunting, Julian Robinson and I pointed out, procedure, conveniently ignored or wrongly applied, is routinely used to frustrate anything the Opposition seeks to bring forward.

It is time for the public to demand more - sadly, if they can even bother.

- Ronald Thwaites is member of parliament for Kingston Central and opposition spokesman on education and training. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.