Antiguan opposition stages walkout

Opposition parliamentarians aligned to the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) staged a walk out of parliament this morning during debate on anti-money laundering legislation.



The move followed an appeal by Opposition Leader Lester Bird to the government for more time to study 30 proposed amendments to the Corporate Management and Trust Service Providers Amendment Act.



Bird called for the debate to be delayed by a further seven days to allow members more time to study the proposed changes.



However, House Speaker Giselle Isaac-Arrindell turned down the request after a vote was taken on the matter and the government used its slender majority in the House to push forward with the debate.



However, Bird deemed the decision to move forward with the debate a travesty of the parliamentary system, and an abuse of the slender majority which the United Progressive Party currently holds.