The Jamaica Labour Party's Shahine Robinson gets sworn-in as Member of Parliament for Northeast St. Ann by the Clerk to the Houses of Parliament, Shirley Lewis, at Gordon House, yesterday. Mrs. Robinson won the by-election for that constituency on March 8. - Junior Dowie"I AM NEVER nervous," newly sworn-in JLP MP for Northeast St. Ann, Shahine Robinson, said at the end of yesterday's sitting of Parliament. Her first since winning the March 8 by-election.
She was responding to a question on whether she had felt nervous during the process of being sworn-in by the Clerk to Parliament, Shirley Lewis, or the two-hour plus sitting of the House of Representatives which followed.
After being sworn-in, Mrs. Robinson shook hands with Government front-benchers, as well as her JLP colleagues. The only JLP MP absent was Karl Samuda (North-central St. Andrew), who turned up mid-sitting and welcomed her with a kiss on the cheek.
Her presence seemed to be a fillip for her obvious mentor, fellow female JLP MP Olivia "Babsy" Grange (Central St. Catherine).
Miss Grange was unusually busy, speaking on behalf of the Opposition during debate on the two issues dealt with by the House: a Bill amending the Broadcasting and Radio Re-diffusion Act allowing for the BBC to be licensed to relay its world service broadcasts from Jamaica; and a Private Mem-bers Motion from Deputy Speaker, O.T. Williams, amending the Assemblies of God in Jamaica Incorporation Law, to allow the local body decision making autonomy.
The sitting ended with tributes being paid to cricketer Courtney Walsh for taking more than 500 wickets in Test cricket.
The House is expected to have its final sitting for 2000/2001 today, at which the First Supplementary Estimates 2000/2001 will be debated. This follows discussions on the Estimates by the Standing Finance Committee at 1:00 p.m.
