By Robert A Emmanuel
Opposition parties, the United Progressive Party and Barbuda People’s Movement, continued their Parliamentary boycott yesterday despite some chastisement against their initial no-show earlier this week.
Yesterday, Senators met to debate and pass the government’s EC$1.89 million budget—this time without the input of opposition Senators Shawn Nicholas, Alex Browne, David Massiah, Johnathan Joseph and Fabian Jones who chose to follow Leader of the Opposition Jamale Pringle and his MP colleagues in staying away from the discussion.
Opposition MPs had previously shunned Tuesday’s budget debate in the House of Representatives after protesting they had not been given enough time to prepare. They claimed that the government was trying to rush the debate by having it two days earlier than they demanded.
During yesterday’s proceedings, President of the Senate Alincia Williams-Grant expressed disappointment with the opposition’s absence.
She said that it was “an honour to be able to sit in these hallowed halls and in this institution” and that she, in her role as Senate President, had done the utmost, as far back as November 2, to ensure that Senators were accommodated in the lead-up to the budget debate.
“I even had discussions with Senators who indicated that they had travel plans and I liaised with the advisor, the clerk, the legislative draft team and even the Attorney General to make sure we got it right so that we could accommodate everyone.
“So, right now, I’m at a loss as to how a shift in one month in a parliamentary calendar means that persons who hold high office and expect to be treated as important—and are recognised as such in our Constitution—are saying to this country, this nation, that they didn’t have enough time to prepare for the single most important bill [the budget],” she said.
She argued that Senators have constantly used the budgetary estimates as part of their presentation during the budget debate with party politics often dominating the proceedings, rather than fiscal issues.
“As legislators, we must equip ourselves with the knowledge needed to discharge our functions… to review, scrutinise the proposals of the executive that come to them through the bills and statutory instruments and resolutions.
“It’s not just about toeing the party line and playing the politics, so walking out of Parliament because you didn’t get the bill in advance for how many weeks or months or however long you wanted, when you know the standing orders say that provisions can be waived, can’t cut it anymore—the people grow weary,” Williams-Grant explained.
Observer made multiple attempts without success this week to reach out to several opposition members, including leaders, for comments on their decision.
Party Chairwoman Gisele Isaac told yesterday’s Observer AM show that the leadership felt that the “one business day” given to the opposition to prepare for the debate was “draconian”.
She added that the opposition will host their own “People’s Parliament” on January 11 to present their own alternative budget.
Meanwhile, Leader of Government Business in the Senate, Senator Samantha Marshall, took the opportunity to further attack the opposition for their no-show, taking advantage of the moment to ask the public if this was the type of leadership they expect from politicians.
“The opposition has taken a position that they will absent themselves from the debate in both houses. What is even worse—and I want to say this to the civil servants—what if the increase that the government is giving would have required a vote of the House; then what would happen?
“The members would not show up on the opposition side to ensure that civil servants were given their due in terms of an increase.
“They say they are ready to govern and so they made a big debate at the presentation as to when they will present themselves to debate; if you were ready to govern, you would be ready to debate—and they have been going around and having several consultations, so they should know the issues,” Marshall argued.