Tradition in the House THE BUSH JACKET phase of Parliament has faded as one of the contentious mementos of the Michael Manley era. Dubbed the Kareeba, the new-look dress suit was fashioned by the new administration in the 1970s with the rallying cry: "Jacket and tie must go." It took a parliamentary committee to sanction the departure from the traditional business suit deemed appropriate for the Gordon House chamber. But with typical gender bias the legislators forgot women. So that when MP Olivia 'Babsy' Grange wore her navy blue Ralph Lauren pants suit to the ceremonial opening of Parliament in March her elegant look was seen as challenging tradition. Or so it seemed to Clerk of the Legislature Shirley Lewis. But since the Standing Orders (rules of procedure) are silent on these matters, the House Committee will have to give its blessing. Some may see this as trivia for a Parliament whose main business is making laws; but dignity and decorum are part of the parliamentary mystique. The occasional eruptions happen because the chamber is also a forum for contention about public matters. Even so we think Parliament should remain relevant to the people it serves. It must adapt to changing times as indeed it does in a continuing process of amending the very laws that it enacts. In this connection we find it puzzling that the Speaker maintains a ban against laptop commuters. Restriction against cell phones would be understandable for obvious reasons; but laptops are no more objectionable than the voluminous typewritten 'notes' debaters often use. Tradition is fine; but some must change. We are reminded by a longstanding parliamentary observer that it took a woman, Miss Iris Collins, the first female MP of the first Parliament in Independence, to challenge the notion that she should wear a hat in the House. The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner.
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