Dear Editor,

I believe the People’s National Party’s (PNP) stance that it would not support the reappointment of either Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert or Juliet Holness to the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives was a political move not grounded on legitimate concerns and much ado about nothing.

Pursuant to the standing orders of Parliament, the party with the majority of seats is entitled to elect the Speaker, and the convention in Jamaica has always been to elect one of its own. The PNP’s chairperson, Dr Angela Brown-Burke, stated that, “The Speaker must serve the people of Jamaica as an impartial umpire of parliamentary proceedings, not partisan interests.” On this basis all Members of Parliament of the governing party — all of whom report to the prime minister — would be unsuitable and disqualified due to a perceived bias towards their leader and party. Thus, this argument put forward by Dr Brown-Burke is weak and unsound. The further allegation of delays in tabling reports by the PNP is, in my opinion, unfounded.

There have been other utterances in the public sphere alleging conflicts of interest due to Holness being Speaker while her husband is prime minister. Firstly, Holness has a very difficult constituency, geographically and politically, and has proven herself once again and earned her seat in her own right. Secondly, it is clear that these people are unaware of the role of the Speaker of the House. The Speaker does not have any input in the running of the country in the way that ministers of Government do. In Parliament the Speaker of the House is responsible for tabling reports and maintaining order by regulating debates and proceedings as well as ensuring observance of the standing orders of Parliament. The Speaker, in this regard, is not a “player in the game” but rather acts as an umpire of the proceedings. Outside of Parliament the speaker’s role is ceremonial, representing the country at conferences and ceremonies. Therefore, any allegations of conflict of interest are, I believe, misguided and misinformed.

The reappointment of Holness as Speaker of the House and Heroy Clarke as Deputy Speaker allows for continuity in the governance of this country. They have served the House of Representatives exceptionally well and I am confident that they will continue to serve in the best interests of Jamaica.

Carolyn Chuck

Attorney-at-law

carolyn_chuck@yahoo.com