Dionne Rose, Staff ReporterA MOTION, brought by Opposition Senators to have the Maintenance Bill referred to a Joint Select Committee of Parliament for further input from the wider public, was yesterday rejected by the Senate.
Government senators used their majority votes to defeat the motion, forcing an unwilling Opposition to continue with the debate on the bill.
The bill is seeking to confer obligations on spouses to maintain each other, on parents to maintain their children and on persons to maintain their parents and grandparents.
Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate, Anthony Johnson, who moved the motion, said the bill was far-reaching and affected the family structure of the society. As such, he said members of the public should be given a chance to improve the bill.
"We are moving that this bill be referred to a Joint Select Committee of both Houses in an attempt to further elucidate by getting the views of the wider public," he recommended.
PUBLIC NOT AWARE
Senator Johnson also noted that the wider public was not aware of the bill.
"What has happened is that it has come like a thief in the night to most people and from what they (members of the public) read, they are of the view that it has passed and what they are saying is how is it that we (parliamentarians) came and agree that woman to mind man," he said.
"Which in far as they are concerned is a brand new concept. There is no concept about woman minding man, this is something new for us in Jamaica. What we are asking for is a greater participation of the citizens through civil society and individually to have their inputs made," Senator Johnson argued.
But Government senators objected to the motion with Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Senator A.J. Nicholson, who piloted the bill last week, pointing out that this was unnecessary.
"Straight upfront, the Government side is not in agreement for this bill being sent to a Joint Select Committee. The only new concept that is being put forward to this bill is placing an obligation for maintenance on both spouses, in fact, it is not new!" he said.
He pointed out that the Right of Spouses Bill went to the Joint Select Committee of both Houses and languished there for more than three years.
Opposition Senators Dwight Nelson and Shirley Williams, however, rebutted the reason given by the Attorney-General and said that it was not sufficient for the matter not to be referred to a Joint Select Committee.
"The movement of the bill through any joint select committee is entirely dependent on the effectiveness of the chairman of the committee to marshal the members and ensure that it moves expeditiously through the process and that chairman comes from that side," said Senator Nelson.
An hour later, the Opposition still failed to convince the Government to send the bill to a joint select committee.
President of the Senate Syringa Marshall-Burnett then stepped in and called for a vote. The motion was rejected by seven to 11 in favour of the Government.
Debate then got under way with Opposition Senator Dorothy Lightbourne making suggestions that a safe clause be introduced to protect persons from being abused by unscrupulous persons.
The debate was then suspended and is expected to conclude next week.
