While Hurricane Melissa laid bare the many cracks and inadequacies in Jamaica’s socio-economic fabric and physical infrastructure, Tuesday’s debate in Gordon House on the controversial National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) Bill — which was in response to getting rid of the strangling bureaucracy that stifles the quick delivery of service as well as expedition in completing government projects — spawned its own trail of chaos and “cass-cass”.

It was indeed a most messy affair when St Andrew South Western Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Angela Brown Burke left her seat and advanced towards the mace, the symbol of authority by which Parliament meets to pass laws, amend legislation, or repeal them.

In what appeared to have been a moment of jest or protestation, MP Brown Burke took up the mace, put it down, and repeated her action, then faced members of the Government side. It is alleged that her actions resulted from the House Speaker Juliet Holness’s failure or refusal to recognise her in her attempt to make an intervention in the debate.

Be that as it may, the Speaker, while slamming her gavel repeatedly, demanded that Brown Burke exit the chamber immediately, as she had breached the Standing Orders. The named MP did not budge and was surrounded by her Opposition People’s National Party colleagues. Eventually, there was a brief suspension of the proceedings, coming in the wake of a motion moved by Leader of Government Business Floyd Green for Brown Burke to be suspended for the rest of the sitting. Advisedly, she did not return when the sitting resumed, and rightly so.

As was expected, the storm in the tea cup has continued in the public space and on social media, with most people taking an invidious position based on their partisan leaning. To begin with, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) spokespersons Abka Fitz-Henley and Marlon Morgan went for the jugular in an apparent overkill, as it is no secret that the last such incident in the House involved now Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett in 2003, who was then an Opposition MP. Bartlett quite appropriately apologised, describing his act as a “critical departure from the accepted practice and principle of the House”. In this vein, is this a classic case of the pot “cussing” the kettle? Tut-tut.

The bigger issue is that Parliament is “an honourable House”, so what takes place there should reflect a certain level of discipline, civility, and decorum. Any departure from this principle should be condemned by both sides, bearing in mind that those who make the laws that govern the Jamaican State ought not to be among those who break the rules, more so in that hallowed space.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding should advise his colleague Dr Brown Burke to tender an apology at the next sitting of Parliament. It must be understood that by doing so she is not kowtowing to the Speaker and her Government colleagues. Instead, she is showing due respect to the Parliament as a revered and respected national institution.

Interestingly, it is amazing that many Jamaicans do not have a clue what the mace is, so much so that one sceptical citizen wanted to know if it was the “chemical mace”, an aerosol, non-lethal self-defence spray.

Then there are those who have been dismissive of this instrument, seeing it as a mere relic of our colonial attachment to the British monarchy. Yes, this is a reasonable argument, but the harsh fact is that Jamaica is still paying homage to King Charles III, his heirs and successors until such time that we rid ourselves of the monarchy and take on full republican status.

Therefore, these angry Jamaicans should be vociferously lobbying our parliamentarians, who so far have been lackadaisical on this matter, to take the bull by the horns and throw not just the mace through the window, but all the trappings that it represents. The potent question to be asked is: Why have Dr Andrew Holness and Golding gone quiet on this burning issue?

The sad truth is that Jamaica, right now, is at a sorry place when it comes to values and attitudes. What happened in Parliament on Tuesday night going into Wednesday morning is symptomatic of what is happening in the wider society, so those who choose to take narrow partisan perspectives on the mace affair are only helping to solidify the wretched state of affairs, whereby crass indiscipline and a disrespect for the rule of law have become the order of the day.

In the meantime, House Speaker Holness needs to enter a period of introspection as to how she carries out her duties in that hallowed chair. Yes, she must enforce the Standing Orders of the House, but she needs to be reminded that as an umpire/referee she must remain calm, judicious, and above the fray. The perception by Opposition members and some citizens is that she is partisan in how she deals with PNP MPs.

And while this might be more perception than reality, her demeanour is sometimes too stentorian, overly aggressive, and dismissive. In other words, she should seek to be assertive rather than aggressive.

In any event, her being the wife of the prime minister will always be an albatross around her neck, which is why she should seek, sometimes, to tiptoe through the tulips and walk between the raindrops — admittedly, a tightrope act.

Meanwhile, it is unfortunate that Dr Brown Burke’s faux pas may well have delivered a serious blow to the PNP, as there were several excellent presentations made by Opposition members during the final day of the NaRRA debate on Dr Holness’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” which have now been overshadowed by this mace affair. So the question is: Who colt the game? Dr Brown-Burke or the Speaker? “Jack Mandora, mi nuh choose none.”

Let us hope that when the Bill reaches the Senate, members there will rise to the occasion and put Jamaica first, not their respective parties.

Lloyd B Smith has been involved full-time in Jamaican media for the past 50 years. He has also served as a People’s National Party Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.

Dr Angela Brown Burke (Photo: Garfield Robinson)