Mitchell Says The Speaker Is A Joke
For Immediate Release
2 October 2019
In a back handed slap to democracy and freedom of speech, the House Speaker and not surprisingly the government members of the House rejected a proposal for an open and frank discussion on issues surrounding and related to the recent passage of Hurricane Dorian.
What a joke the Speaker has become. Just days ago the Speaker was boasting about 290 years of Parliamentary democracy, but when given the opportunity to defend democratic principles, he dropped the ball. The African ancestors are ashamed of him. The House Speaker should be ashamed of himself.
The decision by the House Speaker to strike paragraphs 6,7,8,9,10,11 and 13 from the letter or communique written to him by the Opposition Leader and member for Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador is quite frankly laughable.
His reasoning is wrong. The concerns expressed are not the opinions of the Opposition but experiences and observations from persons ‘on the ground’ in the affected areas on Grand Bahama, Abaco and the surrounding Cays.
His ruling on the ninety minute time limit is silly and not grounded in law, the House Rules or practice. Further, Rule 51 provides for the representatives from all seven of the affected constituencies in addition to the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to speak for ten minutes.
The fact is that the FNM members do not want to talk about Dorian because they are embarrassed about how poorly the government has managed and handled this process to date. The human interest stories in both the local and international media attest to this.
The PLP will continue to speak out for all affected Bahamians and offer alternative solutions while we continue to hold the government’s feet to the fire.
End.