Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/2337/-1/135/
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IN THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY: Peace After The Storm
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The Inauguration of the Ninth House of Assembly in Anguilla began with a stormy session on Tuesday, April 12, in the presence of one of the largest audiences seen there in recent times. The situation arose following the nomination of David Carty as Speaker by Chief Minister and Leader of Government Business, Osbourne Fleming.
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Invited guests in the main galleries of the House of Assembly
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Opposition Member Hubert Hughes, a long-time political opponent and critic of Mr. Carty, subjected the House to a two-hour attack on him as he objected to his nomination. He charged that there would by no fair play in the House, that the rules governing its conduct would not be upheld; that the opposition would be disregarded and that with Mr. Carty’s close involvement with the Government and its programmes, his impartiality was questionable. Mr. Hughes, who had the support of the other Opposition Member, Edison Baird, named former Deputy Speaker Claudel Romney, as their nominee as Speaker, but kept up his long and bitter address.
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Invited guests in the main galleries of the House of Assembly
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The relentless arguments by Mr. Hughes, prompted Chief Minister Fleming to appeal to him at least three times, without success, to tone down and cut short his address and to take into account the presence and time of the invited guests. Among them was High Court Judge, Janice George-Creque, waiting to swear in the Speaker. Mr. Fleming also requested the Clerk, Adella Richardson, to get Mr. Hughes to stop, but she initially took no action, having no defined power to control the proceedings of the House. Minister of Finance, Victor Banks, eventually joined Mr. Fleming in attempting to move forward the election of the Speaker.
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Mr. David Carty being sworn in as Speaker by High Court Judge with Adella Richardson looking on
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Mr. Hughes’ continued speaking and unsavory remarks drew much disapproval from the crowed in the galleries of the House. A number of persons loudly chanted “no more talking” and “shut down the media”- a call for the radio and television live coverage to be discontinued. The broadcasts were suspended at the request of the Chief Minister, but were shortly restored when Mr. Hughes eventually took his seat and Mr. Baird began his discourse.
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Mr. Hubert Hughes (standing) addressing House with Mr. Baird (sitting)
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Mr. Baird, who was far less aggressive and more respectful, spoke for 20 minutes, more or less, highly recommending Mr. Romney as Speaker. He noted that Romney, a Chartered Accountant and Senior Partner with KPMG, had served for 13 years as Deputy Speaker and Second Nominated Member in the House of Assembly and had done a good job. He also spoke about his educational background and said he was well qualified and would be impartial as Speaker. Mr. Baird called on Mr. Carty to be fair to the Opposition in the House and assured him of his cooperation in return. Although Baird aligned himself with the position taken by Mr. Hughes, he was commended by persons in the audience for the respect he had shown in the course of his delivery.
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Swearing in before Speaker David Carty...Miss Keesha Webster, Deputy Speaker and 2nd Nominated Member
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Following Mr. Baird’s contribution, Mr. Hughes began speaking again but this time, having obtained legal advice, the Clerk declared that nominations had ceased and proceeded to distribute slips of paper for the voting. The results were the total 7 votes from the Government side for David Carty and one vote from the Opposition side for Claudel Romney. Three persons did not vote, two of them being the ex-officio members - the Deputy Governor and the Attorney General - who cannot participate in such voting. It meant that one of the Opposition Members returned his paper without voting. Some persons surmised that Mr. Hughes did not take part in the process.
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...Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming
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Following his election, the Speaker, Mr. Carty, was invited by the Clerk to step forward to take his Oaths of Allegiance and Office which were administered by Judge Janice George-Creque. He was then escorted to the Speaker’s Chair by the Clerk.
Mr. Carty’s first act was to swear in the Deputy Speaker, Keesha Webster.
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...Minister of Finance, Victor Banks
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The other Members sworn before the Speaker were in the following order: Osbourne Fleming, Elected Member for Sandy Hill; Victor Banks, Elected Member for Valley South; Kenneth Harrigan, Elected Member for Island Harbour; Evans Rogers, Elected Member for Valley North; Albert Hughes, Elected Member for West End; Hubert Hughes, Elected Member for Road South; Edison Baird, Elected Member for Road North; Donna Banks, Nominated Member; Keesha Webster, Nominated Member; Mark Capes (Deputy Governor), Ex-Officio Member and Ronald Scipio (Attorney General), Ex-Officio Member.
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...Minister of Infrastructure, Utilities and Communications, Kenneth Harrigan
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The Speaker invited comments from Members from both sides of the House. All the Elected Members (except Hubert Hughes) took the opportunity to thank the electorate in their constituencies for the confidence shown in them over the years. They pledged to faithfully carry out their responsibilities to the people and Anguilla.
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...Minister of Social Development, Evans McNeil Rogers
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Of particular interest were the addresses by First Nominated Member, Donna Banks and Second Nominated Member, Keesha Webster, the only two women in the House in many years.
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..Parliamentary Secretary, Albert Hughes
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In her address, Ms. Banks said that while serving in the House she would draw on her “outstanding academic record at the University of the West Indies and George Washington University especially in the fields of accounting, marketing and tourism.” She said the House of Assembly was a place where uplifting and empowering debate should take place.
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...Opposition Member, Hubert Hughes
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Ms. Banks, who said she was not a “ruling party functionary,” went on: “It is my intention, Mr. Speaker, if I am to continue here, to participate in this Honourable House with integrity and compassion ignoring childish outbursts and responding to genuine issues. I will not take lightly the confidence shown in me by Chief Minister Fleming and his colleagues; neither will I pluck up the seeds of integrity and accountability sown in me…”
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...Opposition Member, Edison Baird
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She stated that she was proud to be part of the United Front Government team “that will articulate the Anguilla dream.”
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...1st Nominated Member, Ms. Donna Banks
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Miss Webster, who is a Barrister-at Law, pledged “to faithfully and constructively criticise legislation brought to the House and to introduce constructive legislation. She said it would allow her “to participate as the voice of the people and as the voice of a young woman in the process of making laws for the peace, order and good governance of Anguilla.”
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...Ex-Officio Member, Deputy Governor, Mark Capes
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In his address, as Speaker, David Carty said: “My task is to regulate the affairs of this Assembly in accordance with the rules of procedure. Those rules have been established by this House and have been constitutionally voted into law by lawfully constituted members of this House. Until such time as these rules have been revised and updated with the consent of the majority of the members of this Assembly, they remain in force and must be followed by all Members.
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...Ex-Officio Member, Attorney General, Ronald Scipio
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“The rules apply to all Members of the House, including the Speaker; but it is the Speaker’s peculiar function to ensure that those rules are followed by all those who participate in the affairs of this Assembly. As Speaker let me say clearly, and in the interest of avoiding any ambiguity, that I intend to follow, uphold and enforce those rules without bias or favour and certainly without fear.
“This institution is important and indeed essential to the good governance of our island home. The business of the people must be discussed here openly and freely. That is a principle which cannot be compromised; but as this House is the mechanism through which laws which govern the affairs of all citizens must be enacted, the business of this Assembly must also be conducted with order and decorum. It is my task to ensure that this is done and it is a task which I intend to do to the best of my ability so that the term ‘honourable’, which prefixes the title of every member of this House, is not reduced to ridicule or farce.”
Mr. Carty thanked the Chief Minister and his colleagues for their words of welcome. He said they had “the onerous task of introducing the affairs of Anguilla in this House via Motions or Bills for consideration and passage. “Yours is an awesome responsibility and I wish you well and Godspeed.”
The Speaker continued: “To the Members of the Opposition: gentlemen, you too have an onerous task of scrutinising the affairs of Government in order to provide and ensure that transparency and accountability will continue to be foundational cornerstones of our democracy. In addition it is your right to introduce via Motion, or whatever the rules allow, any issue you deem important to be raised in this Assembly. Whether or not it will be unpleasant to some or to many, divergent and contrary views are essential to the democratic process and must be voiced freely if we are to grow as a people and develop a greater consciousness of the role of Government in our society.
“To the Member for Road North [Edison Baird], I thank you sir for your guarded welcome and wish you Godspeed in your duties.
“To the Member for Road South [Hubert Hughes]: Sir, despite your less than kind words, I likewise wish you Godspeed in your duties. You will no doubt have the opportunity to observe, as to whether or not I will uphold the rules of procedure without fear or favour.
“You can expect that I too will observe the extent of your commitment to upholding those same rules.”
Mr. Carty thanked the Nominated Members and said he was looking forward to their contributions. “Your nomination to this House has been a welcomed departure from tradition and an appropriate response to the call of women in our community for greater gender balance in this House,” he told them. “But I would also anticipate that your participation as professionals in your own right will hopefully bring wise counsel in the Assembly and assist in its deliberations and decisions. I wish you well and Godspeed.”
He also had a word for the Ex-Officio Members, the Deputy Governor and the Attorney General as follows: “Your technical expertise gentlemen continue to be essential to this Assembly. Your rule is likewise weighty and of great import as much of the information and technical underpinnings of the Assembly’s decision-making rest in large measure on your advice. I likewise wish you Godspeed in the execution of your duties.”
Thus the House of Assembly, which had a boisterous and unfortunate beginning, ended in peace with good wishes, handshakes, back-slapping and hugs as everyone greeted each other and feasted on the refreshments that long-awaited them. The wish of many is that this peace, which followed the very stormy initial period, will continue to prevail in the Chambers of the Honourable House of Assembly.