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Article on sexual harassment of MPs surprises House leaders
BY ALICIA DUNKLEY Observer staff reporter dunkleya@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
A Sunday newspaper article suggesting that female parliamentarians were being sexually harassed by male colleagues yesterday caused a stir in Gordon House.
House Speaker Delroy Chuck, commenting on the column published in the February 22 edition of the Sunday Herald and entitled 'Sexual harassment in Parliament', said he was not aware of any such occurrence and invited any member who had been affected in this way to bring the matter to his attention.
"I have had the opportunity to discuss this with the clerk and the deputy clerk, and from where they sit and from where I sit we have had no indication of this," Chuck said.
He asked both Government and Opposition House leaders to probe the matter.
Leader of Government Business in the House Derrick Smith, who said he had read the article and found it difficult to accept it as factual, said a meeting with the three women MPs of the Jamaica Labour Party had not brought any such complaints to light.
"I had a meeting with the three ladies on this side of the House and none of them indicated to me that they had any unfortunate experience or were exposed to anything that made them uncomfortable in this House," Smith said.
Leader of Opposition Business in the House, Derrick Kellier, said he was also aware of the contents of the article but had not been able to meet with the female representatives of the People's National Party to see if there were any complaints.
Kellier promised to meet with the female Opposition MPs on the issue and report the findings.
Deputy House Leader Andrew Gallimore said he was concerned about the issue as it sought to bring members of the House into disrepute.
"I would think that as responsible members, if a problem of this nature does exist it be brought to the attention of the appropriate person so that it can be dealt with," he said. "If there is fact to the article, which is very vague, I would ask that members bring it to attention [of the House leaders] so it can be dealt with thoroughly."
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