ROBERTSON and BARTLETTRobert Hart
, Staff Reporter
IN THE wake of Tuesday night's uproar in the House of Representatives, Dr. Paul Robertson, the Minister of Development, says he will apologise for walking out while being questioned by the Opposition.
In response to calls from the Opposition, Derrick Kellier, the Acting Leader of the House, has indicated that he will be asking the Speaker to summon the members to a meeting on Tuesday, December 16.
But the Development Minister could still face the threat of suspension from the House, as the Opposition pursues a censure motion tabled after his controversial walkout.
"Notwithstanding Dr. Robertson's intention to apologise, we have certain options open to us and between now and then we will decide," Derrick Smith, Leader of Opposition Business, told The Gleaner yesterday.
Prior to the furore, which intensified when the Opposition claimed there was an improper adjournment of the sitting, the House was not expected to reconvene until January.
Mr. Smith also indicated that he did not see Opposition member Ed Bartlett's raising of the ceremonial Mace 'as an issue'.
"If the Government is right in claiming that the House was adjourned, then there was nothing wrong with what he did," he said.
Mr. Bartlett has sought to explain his actions, noting that the Deputy Speaker, O.T. Williams, adjourned the House without putting the question to both sides of the Chamber.
"This did not allow for the Opposition to continue the debate," he told The Gleaner yesterday.
He added, "If the Marshall had taken it up (the mace) he would have locked it away as he does normally. But if the Opposition took it and returned it to the Chamber, it would have forced the House to resume and the debate to continue."
With 14 members to the Government's 10, the Opposition had the numbers to defeat the Government in a debate on the motion to suspend the Development Minister, at the time of the incident. The Opposition had argued, that Dr. Robertson's actions were disrespectful to the House.
"That's why the Government tried to end the sitting," Mr. Bartlett said.
Dr. Robertson had walked out in anger after coming under pressure from Opposition MP Pearnel Charles who suggested that the Government had given up the rights to any future development of the local railway system.
Mr. Charles was referring to a clause in the Highway 2000 agreement between the Government and French company Bouygues - the developer of the highway - which, he claimed, indicates that the operators would be compensated for loss of revenue if a railway is developed along the same corridor.
Dr. Robertson had just made a statement on the development plan for the Highway 2000 corridor when the issue was raised, but did not answer the Opposition member's questions before leaving the Chamber.
During the ensuing moments, the Opposition sought to have the Minister censured, but concerns were raised about whether the motion could be taken without prior notice.
