THE Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has closed ranks behind Member of Parliament (MP) for St James Southern Nekeisha Burchell, who has come under sustained attack from members of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) over her conduct in the House of Representatives.

In a media release on Thursday the Opposition challenged the criticisms of Burchell by people on the Government benches and charged that there has been a concentrated attempt by the Government to silence its members in Parliament — a move it said would pose a threat to democracy.

But, in a quick response, the JLP claimed that the PNP has uttered “a series of barefaced and unadulterated lies in a bid to distract from public backlash it is receiving for its consistently disruptive and outrageous conduct in the Parliament”.

In its release, the PNP described Tuesday’s sitting of the House as “the latest in a troubling pattern of procedural inconsistency, selective enforcement of the Standing Orders, and conduct that undermines Parliament’s constitutional role as Jamaica’s principal forum for accountability, scrutiny and debate”.

The Opposition alleged that there were three incidents which underscore its concerns, with the attacks on Burchell being the most troubling.

According to the Opposition, the issues on Tuesday included House Speaker Juliet Holness’s refusal to allow Leader of Opposition Business Phillip Paulwell to ask a question without hearing what the question was.

“Before he was permitted to identify his issue, the Speaker ruled him out and directed that the matter be raised privately with the Leader of Government Business. The Opposition maintains that a Speaker cannot properly determine a procedural objection without first hearing what the member seeks to raise. Westminster parliamentary practice requires that discretion be exercised fairly, impartially, and on an informed basis,” the PNP said.

The Opposition also charged that during consideration of a motion to approve a report from the Regulations Committee, several of its members called for a divide vote which was not accepted by the Speaker.

“The Speaker stated that she had not heard the request and proceeded without conducting the division,” charged the Opposition whose members later disrupted the sitting by banging on their desks.

“Rather than addressing these legitimate procedural concerns, Government members used the subsequent debate to launch sustained personal attacks against…Burchell, who had been among those challenging the handling of the proceedings,” the PNP said.

During the contentious sitting, MP for Trelwany Southern Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert ripped into Burchell, accusing her of being disrespectful to the Speaker, and of being part of a “new breed” of disruptive parliamentarians.

“The member from southern St James, I am saying particularly to her, I have never seen anybody behave, to any Speaker, the way she has done,” said Dalrymple-Philibert, a former Speaker of the House.

The PNP said it was particularly concerned by remarks directed at Burchell by MP for Kingston Western Desmond McKenzie, who, while pointing across the chamber, warned that she should not cross his path or else.

“Such language can reasonably be interpreted as threatening and intimidating. It has no place in Jamaica’s Parliament and risks further lowering the standard of parliamentary discourse,” the Opposition stated.

“This is not about personalities. It is about protecting Parliament as an institution. Every member, regardless of political affiliation, has the right to be heard, seek procedural clarification, and expect the Standing Orders to be applied fairly and consistently,” said Paulwell in the release.

He was supported by MP for St Mary South Eastern Christopher Brown, who added, “This singling out of Member Burchell by the former Speaker, to my mind, amounts to inciting and represents an unfortunate direct mobilisation of possible attacks within a society where violence is often the first choice for conflict resolution.”

The PNP served notice that it will continue to resist what it called “the oppressive and undemocratic management of the affairs of the House of Representatives.

“And we will resolutely defend MP Burchell from the type of intimidatory conduct displayed by Government members during the sitting. This matter is not about one member or one political party. It is about preserving the integrity of Jamaica’s Parliament.

“Parliamentary rules exist to facilitate debate, protect minority rights, and ensure accountability. When they are applied inconsistently or in ways that frustrate legitimate scrutiny, confidence in Parliament is diminished,” declared the Opposition.

In its brief response the JLP argued, “In the interest of Jamaica, the PNP should commit to conducting itself in a more appropriate manner.”