KINGSTON, Jamaica – The calls are continuing for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Juliet Holness to withdraw her public letter of reprimand and apologise to the recently-retired Clerk to the Houses of Parliament, Valrie Curtis.

Opposition Spokesman on Energy and Climate Change, Phillip Paulwell, on Tuesday repeated his call for Holness to make an about-turn in the interest of the proper running of the Parliament.

His latest call follows that by the powerful Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) in a letter to The Gleaner newspaper on Monday. Paulwell was speaking as he made his contribution to the 2024/25 Sectoral Debates which got underway on Tuesday in the House of Representatives.

Holness was not present during the sitting but Paulwell addressed her nonetheless.

“You have asked that the Standing Orders be reviewed to provide you with guidance as to the tabling of reports from the Auditor General and the Integrity Commission. With respect Madam Speaker, the rules that currently exist are quite fine and must not be adjusted in any way,” said Paulwell.

He added that: “We do need new rules to restore the chairmanship of the several oversight committees to the Opposition. And Madam Speaker, we must better define the relationship between yourself and the administrative staff of Parliament. Needless to say, I will again call upon you to withdraw that egregious letter that was sent to the former Clerk along with an appropriate apology”.

Paulwell told Holness that, “This matter will dog you for the rest of your term as Speaker if you don’t do the right thing to restore equilibrium and working relationships within this honourable House”.

While an opinion she sought from the Attorney General’s chambers stated that there was nothing unlawful in the way reports from the Auditor General’s Department and the Integrity Commission were previously tabled in the Parliament, the Speaker sat on the opinion for several months.

A week before she was due to proceed on retirement on April 6, the speaker upbraided Curtis in a letter that was copied to the other 62 members of parliament in a move civil society and public commentators have described as unprecedented. Curtis has insisted that she followed the speaker’s instructions.

Holness paid glowing tribute to Curtis during last Tuesday’s sitting of the House but did not apologise or withdraw the letter.