Cropper ‘appalled’ by Senators’ conduct

She said: "Since joining this chamber I have been quite appalled at what passes for debate in the Parliament of the country as we seek to discharge our public function on behalf of the public interest.

"The name-calling, the insulting and the backbiting is something that is irresponsible and I am so happy sometimes when I look up here and I see that the media have left, because I think that might be partly the saving grace of this chamber, in that they only get about three hours coverage of what passes for debate here."

Cropper praised Opposition Senator Roy Augustus for raising the matter earlier.

"For the first time I have heard someone, an experienced senator, raise this as an issue here, that we have to take stock of our behaviour and be conscionable about how we relate to one another, because how we relate to one another here is indicative of how we would relate to one another out there, and is indicative, indeed, of how the society is relating to one another."

Cropper then criticised Montano for saying that the former UNC government had set up the Dollar-for-Dollar programme to chiefly benefit students who fitted the profile of the "natural UNC constituency."

Saying she was in the Senate to speak for the public and contribute to the well-being and development of the society, she declared: "I am not here to represent a part of that society, but all of it, and I do not think that this is a place for us to be accusing one another and talking about our natural constituencies, and other such things."

She said that while such remarks may be appropriate for the platform at election time, they were certainly not right for Parliament.

"When we are here, we are not required to represent any natural constituency except the national constituency."

At Cropper’s remarks, several senators thump-ed their desks in agreement.