Bunting barb at Vaz sparks uproar in Gordon House
Published:Thursday | November 4, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Daraine Luton, Senior Staff Reporter
GOVERNMENT MINISTER James Robertson unplugged the microphone of Central Manchester representative Peter Bunting amid chaos in Gordon House on Tuesday.
Robertson, the energy minister and member of parliament for West St Thomas, pulled the plug on Bunting, who had accused government minister Daryl Vaz of fêting persons who were later hauled before the courts to answer criminal allegations.
"State financing of political parties is in the interest of protecting the party from becoming vulnerable to funding from questionable sources," Bunting said as he lined up a jab at Vaz.
Then the shot came.
"The deputy of the JLP (Jamaica Labour Party) should know that when he was fêting certain people who are contributors, who are now either charged or convicted, he should be concerning himself with that source of funding," Bunting said.
Vaz then responded: "We were honest enough to admit it," before his colleagues' shouts drowned him out, demanding that Bunting withdraw the statement.
Unfortunate comment
Clive Mullings, the member of Parliament for West Central St James, said Bunting's comment was unfortunate and that it imputed improper motives, which is a breach of Standing Orders.
At the same time, Robertson and West St Mary Member of Parliament Robert Montague shouted for Bunting to withdraw, and they were soon joined by South West St Ann Member of Parliament Ernest Smith.
Vaz was barely moved by Bunting's barb. "... And we are supposed to be friends," he said, while giving Bunting a blank stare.
A firestorm then ensued in the House after Speaker Delroy Chuck ruled that the statement be withdrawn. Bunting complied, but government members said the act of withdrawing the statement was not sufficient and demanded an apology.
During the squabble, the microphones on the opposition benches went dead. A stand-in microphone had to be brought for Bunting and it was plugged into a slot on the government side of the House.
However, a furious Robertson unplugged the microphone. And when an orderly attempted to retrieve it from him, Robertson waved him away. The microphone was eventually affixed by Pearnel Charles, Robertson's colleague minister.
Party financing
Meanwhile, Vaz hit back at Bunting when he joined in the debate on the report of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica on party financing.
He blasted Bunting's People's National Party (PNP) for claiming that it backed full disclosure of party funding but had not provided proof that it returned a controversial sum of money to Trafigura Beheer, a Dutch oil-trading company.
The PNP, in 2007, had received J$30 million from Trafigura, a Dutch firm contracted to lift oil on behalf of the Jamaican Government. The party claimed the money was a donation while Trafigura said it was for a business transaction. The PNP, under public pressure, then said it returned the money to Trafigura but has not furnished any evidence.
"They have been so strident for transparency and accountability when it suits them," Vaz said.
"I am going to challenge you to deny that the same source of funding that you are accusing me of, that the People's National Party didn't benefit from it," he added.