THE prayer said before the start of the sitting of both Houses of Parliament has been referred to a Standing Orders Committee for revision, to make it more appropriate in the Jamaican context.

Dr Peter Phillips, leader of government business, who brought the motion before the House, said a number of parliaments worldwide have the provision that the sitting should start with a prayer.

“In many instances, as in the case of Australia, Canada and New Zealand, prayers that are centuries old have, in the last two or three decades, been reconsidered and revised to make the language more accessible to the majority of people,” said Phillips.

He noted that in the case of Jamaica, the prayer that is commonly used dates back centuries, “and I suspect that persons have a difficult time untangling the particular use of language which dates from the plantation epoch.”

Phillips told the House that it would be desirable to have the Standing Orders Committee review this particular practice and the structure and language of the prayer “to make it more in keeping with our current social context”.

Opposition spokesman on national security, Derrick Smith, queried if the draft that had been previously circulated had been given some sort of approval by the various umbrella church organisations islandwide.

Phillips, in his response, said a committee had been set up to look at questions such as the appropriateness of the Oaths.

“I think that this has been the subject of some consideration by members of the clergy. However, I cannot assure that all the organisations have reviewed this draft. This is really a draft that has come forward for the consideration of the Standing Orders Committee,” he said.

Following is the text of the prayer:

“Almighty God, by whom alone Kings reign and Princes decree justice and from whom alone cometh all counsel, wisdom and understanding, we thine unworthy servants here gathered together in Thy Name do most humbly beseech Thee to send down Thy Heavenly Wisdom from above to direct and guide us in all our consultations.

“And grant that, we having Thy fear always before our eyes, and laying aside all private interests, prejudices, and partial affections, the result of all our counsels may be to the glory of Thy Blessed Name, the maintenance of true religion and justice, the safety, honour and happiness of the Queen, the public weal, peace and tranquility of the Island, and the uniting and knitting together of the hearts of all persons and estates within the same, in true Christian Love and Charity one towards another, through Jesus Christ Our Lord, AMEN.”