Government members, angered by Opposition Leader Mark Golding’s criticism of Juliet Holness’s selection as House Speaker, last September, walked out during Tuesday’s sitting of Parliament, leaving the House without a quorum and bringing a riotous end to the proceedings.

Golding, who was nearing the end of 2024/25 budget presentation, was stopped in his tracks when Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Government members took offence to the comment about his wife.

Chastising the Administration on the issue of governance, Golding said that when former Speaker of the House Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert was forced to resign as a result of an Integrity Commission investigation, “the move to replace her with the wife of the prime minister, so that the head of Parliament is now the spouse of the head of Government, really does not sit well with the tradition that the Speaker must act independently of the Government of the day”.

The comment triggered an immediate response from Prime Minister Holness.

“That is low and desperate,” the prime minister shouted as he started to pack up his things to leave.

“You’re dirty!” Government legislator Desmond McKenzie could be heard saying.

“Low blow!” other Government members chimed in as they all followed the prime minister out of the chamber. Some ‘fanned off’ Opposition members as they walked out.

The Opposition members, however, were not phased and chanted “Go!”

Last evening political watchers said they couldn’t recall a similar development in Jamaica’s independent history.

Last September, Juliet Holness’s nomination for the Speaker’s chair was seconded by Leader of Opposition Business in the House Phillip Paulwell who, after she was elected, congratulated her on her ascension.

“I wish to say that early in your tenure, it is my hope that both leader of Government Business and myself will be able to sit with you to look at some of these issues that we have had to deal with in the past and to see how we can share in our collective wisdom in the guidance that you will need, from time to time, from those of us in this Chamber. We wish you well, we generally want you to do well, so that your tenure can be very successful,” he said at the time.

The new Speaker, on her election, had said, “It is the beginning of excellent camaraderie when a member from the Opposition side stands up to second the nomination of the member from the Government side for Speaker or Deputy Speaker, and I hope as we continue to do our duties on behalf of the people of Jamaica we will continue to display that type of relationship that keeps our House disciplined and orderly for the benefit of all Jamaicans.”

On Tuesday, the House was eventually adjourned because of the lack of a quorum.

Golding then went to complete his speech outside on the steps of Headquarters House, the old legislature, beside Gordon House.

Supporters of his People’s National Party (PNP), who had gathered beyond the barriers placed outside the Parliament building, listened attentively as Golding completed his speech. When he was through, he said: “I would’ve ended ‘Thank you, Madam Speaker,’ but I won’t end that way because I’m not in the Parliament, I’m on Duke Street with my Comrades.”

They then sang the party anthem.

Opposition legislator Julian Robinson and other Opposition members told the Jamaica Observer that the walkout by the entire Government side was unprecedented.

“I’ve never seen that before,” Robinson said, adding that Golding probably had about five minutes left to complete his presentation.

“I mean, if you don’t like what is being said you can object, but to leave because you don’t like what is being said is unprecedented. So it means anytime any of us is speaking and they don’t find favour with what we say, all of them going to walk out and you have no quorum? A quorum is 16, so if they all walk out there can be no quorum. I mean, we will obviously have to sit down and determine our next move. But I must tell you, in my almost 11 or 12 years, I’ve never seen this,” he said.

He said that they would have to meet as a parliamentary group and determine their next step.

“I mean, the budget debate continues. It’s supposed to continue Thursday. But clearly we are not going to be comfortable coming to listen to the prime minister when they have rendered the Parliament unable to hear the rest of the speech of the Opposition leader. So we sit down as a parliamentary group and determine how we move forward,” he said.

Earlier, during the débâcle in the House, Government legislator Everald Warmington had re-entered the chamber to continue arguing and to say that there is no quorum in the House so the proceedings could not continue.

Robinson retorted: “The prime minister fire you; go outside!”

Warmington could be heard hurling: “You’re a low life,” and “rude” back at the Opposition benches.

McKenzie and Delroy Chuck eventually joined Warmington back inside the chamber, but just at the door.

“Unbelievable,” Chuck was heard saying.

Deputy Speaker Heroy Clarke quelled the dispute, telling members that he would not continue in that manner and asked members to be quiet. He said that, according to Section 7 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives of Jamaica, the quorum shall consist of 16 members besides the person presiding.

“If at any time during the sitting of a House, objection is validly taken by any member that there is not a quorum present, the person presiding shall direct members to be summoned. And if, at the end of five minutes, a quorum be not present, he shall adjourn the House without question put… as it stands, I am now summoning members to come on the inside of the chamber and we will wait for the five minutes,” he said.

During the wait, Opposition legislator Natalie Neita Garvey led her colleagues in singing popular revival tunes.

Another Opposition member, Lothan Cousins, was heard questioning whether Golding would be allowed to complete his presentation on Thursday, the day the prime minister is slated to make his presentation.

When the time expired and no Government member had returned, the Deputy Speaker adjourned the sitting, at which time the Opposition members sang the PNP anthem, reviving memories of a similar act by Government members some months ago.