Whether we may wish to admit it or not, many of us as individuals have experienced temporary insanity leading to actions and/or abusive language which leaves us profoundly embarrassed when sanity returns.

Road rage springs immediately to mind as a trigger for such episodes.

Everyone, more especially mature, well-thinking, responsible adults must be constantly on their guard against loss of control in tense situations
— not least, since their behaviour can serve as a guide for others, including the very young.

That weight of responsibility becomes much, much greater for our elected representatives, our legislators, in the Jamaican Parliament. Theirs should be a much higher plane.

For that reason, while he has informally apologised, the Opposition People’s National Party’s (PNP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Manchester North Western Mr Mikael Phillips should at the very least make an unreserved, formal apology to the nation and his parliamentary colleagues for his behaviour in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. That comprehensive, formal apology, we believe, should happen no later than the next sitting of the House.

No amount of provocation
— perceived or real
— can justify foul language and actions with seemingly violent intent aimed at ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) MP for Kingston Western Mr Desmond McKenzie.

We note that Mr Phillips, Opposition Leader Mr Mark Golding, Leader of Opposition Business in the House Mr Phillip Paulwell, and supporting voices, have framed the descent to disorder in Parliament against the backdrop of allegedly consistent actions by the ruling party to stifle Opposition voices.

In Tuesday’s sitting, what seemed set to be a lengthy, contentious debate over Mr Anthony Hylton’s motion for the Government to be censured was cut short by the ruling majority. The motion related to the Government’s unexpected, unprecedented decision to abstain from the annual United Nations General Assembly vote on the United States trade embargo against Cuba.

The House sitting ended in turmoil amid Opposition anger and dismay.

There have been claims and counterclaims across the political divide as to which party was at fault for Tuesday evening’s débâcle.

Outside of mere short-term optics’, this newspaper is at a loss as to why the Government chose to shut down a debate on such an important matter without allowing speakers on both sides to air their views.

The plain truth is that there was surely no danger of the censure motion being carried, given the Government’s majority
— relatively slim though it is
— in the House of Representatives.

It seems to us that under no circumstances should Jamaicans be given short shrift on an issue so crucial as the Government’s decision to change approach to the long-standing trade embargo against Cuba, a friend, benefactor, and our closest neighbour.

Lest we forget, since 1992 every Jamaican Government across the political divide has voted in favour of the United Nations motion to end the embargo.

In our view, there can be no rational excuse for not properly airing the issues on the floor of Parliament.

Regarding the current open hostilities so evident
— and apparently getting worse in the legislature
— we believe leading stakeholders, such as party leadership on both sides, and the Speaker of the House Mrs Juliet Holness, must consciously take a step back and start anew.

The current environment does the national interest no good whatsoever.