MEMBER of Parliament for St Catherine South Western Everald Warmington delivered a tongue-lashing Wednesday, after being told to “sit down” by St Andrew Western MP Anthony Hylton, while he was on his feet making an intervention as Speaker Marisa Dalrymple Philibert chastised members for habitual lateness at sittings of the House of Representatives.

The speaker vented her frustration before the smattering of MPs on both sides, who were present in the chamber, while others trickled in, but Warmington told her she was aiming her ire at the wrong members.”I’ve been coming here since 1983, you came here after me, have you ever seen me being late one day? I’m late because of reasons — being hereafter 2 o’clock it doesn’t mean that I’m disrespecting the House, and looking round me all I’m seeing are those who are here at 2 o’clock, so it doesn’t make sense to chastise those who are here for those who aren’t here. I’m always here by 1o o’clock,” the customarily outspoken MP stated.To Hylton’s somewhat sotto voce remark, he snapped: “Don’t you ever dare do that again — anybody can say that to me except a quashie lawyer, so don’t you do it again. The only place you fit for is Riverton city and the dump, disrespectful and rude. Show some respect here!” adding, “Move!” as he took his seat.

The speaker, squashing the quibble, argued that the very fact that the members present are those who are usually on time, does not reflect well on the Parliament. She had given notice that the sitting would have to be postponed if enough members were not present to form a quorum — as per the Standing Orders of the Houses of Parliament— but that action was averted with the arrival of some members.”I am sending a message to those who stroll in at odd times; it looks bad, it is a poor reflection on all of us. I know on our side we are going to do something [but] on both sides of the isle there are those people who stroll in at odd times for odd reasons and their voices are usually louder than everybody else’s whenever they get here. It [the presence of some] makes it not any better that for any sitting of this Parliament, that we should not have a quorum to start. Those people who I am talking about who amble in long after, it’s not correct, and it doesn’t look good. It is an embarrassment,” Dalrymple Philibert said, acknowledging that the members present were among those who usually turn up on time for the sittings.

— Alphea Sumner