JLP condemns Brown Burke for touching Parliament’s mace
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is condemning the actions of Member of Parliament (MP) for St Andrew South Western, Angela Brown Burke, after she touched the ceremonial mace during a sitting of the Committee of the Whole House, which was examining clauses of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) Bill.
The JLP, in a press release on Wednesday, said: “Removal of the mace is a clear breach of the Parliament’s Standing Orders and tantamount to disorderly conduct. It is widely known across the Commonwealth that touching or interfering with the mace in a parliamentary committee sitting is a severe breach of parliamentary privilege and etiquette, typically resulting in immediate suspension, removal from the chamber and possible disciplinary action.”
According to the party, the mace embodies the authority of the Speaker and the House; therefore, any interference is viewed as contempt of Parliament.
The JLP said Brown Burke also initially defied a directive to leave the House after she was named by the Speaker of the House, Juliet Holness, and also suspended for the rest of the sitting. This initial refusal is also a violation of the Standing Orders, it said.
“MP Brown Burke’s conduct in disrupting the sitting of the House of Representatives is unacceptable and a disgrace. Her action was a clear attempt to disrupt the business of the Parliament, which was in the process of treating with a Bill, which is crucial to assist Jamaicans to recover from the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa,” said JLP Communication Chairman, Senator Abka Fitz-Henley.
“The stance taken by Brown Burke’s colleague PNP (People’s National Party) MPs, who stood and blocked her departure from the parliamentary chamber, despite it being clear she was in the wrong, confirms that the PNP cannot be trusted to treat with the business of the people in an appropriate manner. It is no surprise that Opposition Leader and PNP President Mark Golding did not immediately act to ensure that Mrs Brown Burke comport herself in an appropriate manner,” he added.
