VERNA Parchment did what could well be her swan song in Parliament on Wednesday as she spoke in the sectoral debate for the first, and probably last, time as a member.

Parchment (PNP-North Western St Ann), who was elected in 2002 on a Jamaica Labour Party ticket, crossed the floor on May 10 after falling out with the JLP’s new leadership, who had accused her of non-performance.

Cheered on by PNP members, who relished her chastisement of her former colleagues, while the JLP members looked on in awe, Parchment accused the JLP of existing in a “quagmire of intrigue, deception, intellectual dishonesty, disrespect towards women and towards those men who dare to question the leadership.”

She said that it was impossible to sit with her former opposition colleagues and continue to be faithful to her principles.

Parchment said that with the departure of Edward Seaga as leader of the JLP she was left as a political newcomer with no sense of direction.

She described the former JLP leader as a “decent, honest person with a high degree of integrity.” There were others in the Opposition with similar characteristics who, unfortunately, had no voice and were forced to remain silent or resign, she said.

“It must be very clear to all who wish to observe, objectively, that they are still groping in the dark, hoping to find some light at the end of what is a very long, dark tunnel,” she said of the JLP, which is now led by Bruce Golding.

She also accused the party of dumping her because she refused to take part in activities like road blocking demonstrations, adding that the label of non-performer was inappropriate.

She gave as examples of her stewardship: rehabilitation and expansion of Brown’s Town market; provision of 20 houses to families in need – five from the National Housing Trust, a state agency, and 15 from charity Food for the Poor and the Ministry of Housing; restoration of water system in Bellefield; repairs to the Brown’s Town police station; back-to-school assistance for students, including uniforms and textbooks; sports gear for youth clubs; and burial assistance to constituents.

Parchment pleaded with Abe Dabdoub (Independent-North Eastern St Catherine) – who left the JLP on March 12 – to join her on the government benches.

“I say to him, be not afraid; accept my assurance … come on over,” she said, noting that she was very happy being on the government side.

The House now looks forward to Dabdoub’s contribution, scheduled for this week, which is likely to follow the same line.

It is unfortunate that Parchment’s tenure as MP should end like this, but it was obvious that she lacked intimate knowledge of the workings of Parliament and political parties and needed guidance which was not forthcoming from her colleagues.

Many backbenchers, on entering the House of Representatives, become disappointed with the workings of the system. Some stick to it and are sometimes rewarded for their loyalty and courage.

Others, like the member from North Western St Ann, are doomed to failure once they get lost in the political maze.

Probably, the political parties should start holding seminars to acquaint aspirants with the intricacies of the political system, as well as parliamentary practices and procedures before they are allowed to become candidates.

This House is not a home

If there is one issue on which there is consensus in Parliament, it’s the need for a new or expanded parliament building with expanded facilities.

Sharon Hay-Webster, (PNP-for South Central St Catherine) reiterated her numerous calls for a totally new building to be constructed, when she spoke in the sectoral debate on Tuesday.

“We are here in borrowed premises,” she said. “It will soon be 50 years since the Parliament has existed and we do not have our own building; and these facilities that we have here are wholly inadequate.”

Hay-Webster noted that when the Child Care Act was being discussed, every seat in the House was filled because of the interest that people had in the issue, adding that no other committee could meet at the time.

“I notice that we now have (research) interns. Where are they going to sit? There is no space for them. They are going to have to borrow our conference room and the opposition conference room? How can they work properly and give us the kind of support we need?” she asked.

“We need to take political division away from the issue of the people’s business in this House, because we need a proper Parliament in place.”

The MP said she hoped that by the time Gordon House gets to its 50th anniversary (August 6, 2012), “we are not celebrating that in this place, because this rightly belongs to the KSAC. We borrowed it quite some time ago.”

The MP was referring to the fact that Gordon House was actually conceived as the chamber of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation, the local authority.

House plays catch up

This week is going to be extremely busy, for the House of Representatives as it attempts to catch up on lost time in the current sectoral debate to meet the July 25 deadline for the summer break.

A lot of time was lost between late May and early June, when the political parties turned their attention to the Eastern Westmoreland by-election.

After the debate started May 30, with Leader of the House and Minister of National Security Dr Peter Phillips and opposition spokesman on justice Delroy Chuck, the sittings scheduled for May 31 and June 6, the day before the by-election, were both cancelled.

By the time Parliament resumed on June 13, the entire programme was in disarray, with at least six contributions postponed. There was an effort last week to catch up with four speakers on Tuesday and Wednesday.

This week there are about 10 speakers scheduled to speak between Tuesday and Wednesday.

And this is in addition to a number of other matters on the Order Paper, including the debate on the bill to repeal the Representation of the People (Interim Electoral Reform) Act to make temporary provisions for an Electoral Commission.

The list of speakers for this week includes cabinet ministers Dean Peart, Derrick Kellier and Maxine Henry-Wilson as well as MPs Edmund Bartlett, Pearnel Charles, Shahine Robinson, Abe Dabdoub, KD Knight, Devon McDaniel, and Dr Morais Guy.

The situation creates an overwhelming burden on Hansard and other staff of Parliament, as well as the media.

Again we make the point that the way the programme of the House of Representatives is handled shows a lack of respect not only for parliamentarians, but the public as well.

The handling of the current sectoral debate in the House of Representatives leaves a lot to be desired.

balfordh@jamaicaobserver.com