Bickering over resolutions at KSAC council meeting sparks walkout
A disagreement between councillors of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) over two reworded resolutions resulted in the subsequent walkout by those aligned to the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) at Tuesday’s monthly meeting of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC).
Crosstalk between JLP councillors and their People’s National Party (PNP) colleagues began during a discussion on the resolution moved by PNP councillor Kevin Taylor (Duhaney Park Division) for money to be requested from the Equalisation Fund to clean the Duhaney River channel .
The resolution argued that it could become a major breeding site for “mosquitoes that spread diseases”. If not cleared, the channel could also adversely affect the lives and property of the citizens of New Haven, the resolution stated.
However, JLP councillor Duane Smith said that the resolution had been reworded and was frivolous. He claimed that the figure to clean the channel had been changed three times.
“When this New Haven Mosquito Eradication resolution was originally brought to this caucus a month ago it had an estimated cost of $4.9 million. However, on the day of the council meeting, the figure was magically reduced to $4.5 million,” Smith argued. However, PNP councillors said some of Smith’s assertions were irrelevant to the resolution to which Smith responded to them to “shut up”.
Despite an order from Kingston Mayor Angela Brown Burke for the councillors to be civil to each other, Smith repeated the insult after he was again interrupted by PNP councillors.
He later refused to apologise even as the mayor declared that he would not be allowed to continue his statement if he did not.
He then aborted his presentation, took up his papers and left the chamber.
The Duhaney River Resolution was then passed by the PNP councillors with all the JLP councillors abstaining.
Later, JLP Councillor Delroy Williams complained that “discussion” at the council “was being choked”.
He said that the debate on the Duhaney River Resolution was ended by the mayor after Smith aborted his statement and left the chamber, without other JLP councillors who wished to speak on the matter being given an opportunity to do so.
“Other minority members wanted to speak on the issue and should have been allowed to do so,” said, who later left the chamber with his colleague JLP councillors in tow.
