A heated clash erupted during Wednesday’s sitting of Parliament’s Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) as Opposition members confronted Member of Parliament (MP) for St James Central MP Heroy Clarke over repeated interruptions during questioning of representatives of State entities.

The Opposition MPs accused Clarke, who sits on the Government benches, of disrupting proceedings and challenging the right of members to examine matters within the committee’s oversight role.

Wednesday’s meeting of the PAAC was convened to examine the National Water Commission’s (NWC’s) Hurricane Melissa recovery efforts, but the squabble over Clarke’s conduct extended beyond that day’s sitting.

After representatives of the NWC had concluded their appearance, Opposition members voiced their displeasure at what they claimed was a pattern of interruptions by Clarke, which they said repeatedly disrupted the flow of discussions at PAAC sessions reviewing the response to Melissa.

Clarke’s interruptions during those meetings usually come when he believes members are venturing into areas outside the committee’s core responsibility for public administration and expenditure.

However, MP for St Mary Central Omar Newell argued that the PAAC’s mandate allows it to examine a broad range of issues affecting the efficiency, management, and performance of public bodies, particularly in the context of a national disaster recovery effort, where infrastructure, service delivery, and spending are closely linked.

Newell called for a reset in how members conduct themselves, warning that disorder in the room was undermining the credibility of Parliament’s oversight work.

“It is unfortunate that I’m going to say this, but I think we need to get some understanding of the role of the chairman vis-a-vis the members and that we can’t just bully and shout out to get our own way,” Newell said as he argued that disagreements should be resolved through points of order and rulings from the chair, not loud interruptions.

Newell also rejected the view that the PAAC should be confined to narrow budget lines, pointing instead to the committee’s broader authority to probe inefficiency and administration.

“I think there is a misunderstanding of 73A Subsection C, which is one of the roles of the committee, which is to enquire into the administration of a Government to determine hindrances to efficiency and making recommendations to Government for the improvement of public administration, meaning it is not just a committee that looks at the finances and things that are in the budget, but the committee has the remit and the authority to look at matters affecting efficiency, and if a member raises a point…it’s up to the member to point out whether it fits in point A, B, or C. It can’t be that members just say, this is the rule and it can’t work,” added Newell.

But Clarke defended his interventions as an attempt to keep the committee disciplined and fair to all members, arguing that extended questioning by one MP could crowd out others.

He also cautioned that straying into infrastructure and related issues risked dragging the committee into territory he believed should be handled elsewhere.

“The infrastructure part of it that we get into, sometimes it is not [for] here, and I said it today, let us focus on what PAAC is supposed to do, and not what we think in our mind that we want to ask the technocrats,” Clarke argued.

But St James Southern MP Nekeisha Burchell hit back as she charged that public assets and performance, including infrastructure assets, are squarely within the PAAC’s responsibility to ensure value for money.

“I believe Member Clark is narrowly restraining the focus of this committee with his intemperate interjections.I believe that he ought to allow the chairman to adjudicate the meetings and show respect for the other members. I understand that not all of us had the kind of upbringing that would allow us to understand that when others are speaking, you stay quiet, but respect is something that ought to be given if we expect to receive it,” said Burchell.

“I think he ought to refresh himself on what the PAAC is about and how it really and truly should help us to get the answers that we all should be seeking on behalf of our constituents. I don’t know what his motive is, but ours is clear to get the answers for the people, and we are acting within the remit of the PAAC,” added Burchell.

As the exchanges intensified, PAAC Chairman Peter Bunting attempted to restore order as he pointed out that conduct in the meetings demands restraint.

“Mr Clarke…when you were in the speaker’s chair, you do not appreciate members behaving how you are behaving today. So please,” said Bunting in reference to Clarke’s role as deputy speaker in the House of Representatives.

Bunting urged members to return to the committee’s wider constitutional oversight role as he pointed out that when ministries and agencies appear before the committee, lawmakers are acting on behalf of the legislature to scrutinise the executive.

“I think it has been useful to remind ourselves of the remit of this committee, and the fact is, it’s a very wide remit, and I try to allow members leeway, unless it is, in my judgement, taking it a bit too far. But let’s try and operate in as collaborative, as collegial, and as cohesive a way as possible on the committee. We are all here with the same objective, which is to serve the interests of the people of Jamaica, regardless of which party banner we run under and which constituency we represent,” added Bunting.

NEWELL…we can’t just bully and shout out to get our own way (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

BUNTING…we are all here with the same objective, which is to serve the interests of the people of Jamaica