Suspend me nah!

Yesterday’s Parliament saw UNC’s Kelvin Ramnath on a virtual rampage while Speaker Barry Sinanan, stood, with Standing Orders in hand, literally begging the unruly MP to behave.

According to the Standing Orders, once the Speaker is on his feet, everyone must be seated and be silent. But Ramnath in defiance,  stood shouting at Sinanan, boofing him and even daring him to suspend him. Meantime, Speaker Sinanan, also on his legs, implored and pleaded. During the exchange between himself and the Speaker, Ramnath dared Sinanan: “You can suspend me. I don’t have to be here!” The House was debating a motion on crime filed by Pointe-a-Pierre MP Gillian Lucky, who noted that what Abu Bakr had asked for in 1990 — the National Security Ministry — had become a reality under the PNM.

Government minister Camille Robinson-Regis, in responding, referred to the role of certain Opposition members, especially John Humphrey, during the attempted coup. She said Ramnath was the one who took the amnesty out of the Parliament for the then acting President to sign. Ramnath then rose to state that she was  misleading the House. “I never signed any document,” he stated, adding: “She is totally out of order to come to this Parliament and lie.” Glaring directly toward Robin-son-Regis,  he roared: “If yuh don’t know, stay silent!”. At this point, Sinanan, who as Speaker is charged with maintaining order in the House,  began what was to become a refrain, “Honour-able member, please,” Sinanan pleaded. As Ramnath sat down, Robinson-Regis continued to make the point that the records would show that Ramnath was the one who took the amnesty document outside to the acting President, Emmanuel Carter. Ramnath rose again. “I will not sit down and allow this member...” he began. 

Sinanan intervened to ask if he was rising on a point of order, which is the only condition under which one MP could interrupt another during a contribution. “I don’t know what Standing Order,” Ramnath answered dismissively. “But you cannot allow this!” he asserted, speaking directly to Sinanan. “Please!” Sinanan begged. “Making accusations against a specific member of the House!”  Ramnath thundered, unmindful of Sinanan’s urgings. “Please, please honourable member,” Sinanan implored again. “And you want to use Standing Orders against me!” Ramnath bellowed in recalcitrant fashion.  “Honourable member when the Speaker is standing, you have to take your seat,” said the soft-spoken Sinanan. “I don’t have to do anything!” Ramnath shot back. 

Humbling himself before Ramnath’s onslaught, Sinanan begged again. “If you are on a point of order, then state your point of order,” he coaxed. “My point of order is that the member is misleading the House!” Ramnath thundered. “Okay, okay, okay,” Sinanan begged. “And I did not carry any amnesty to any President of the country! And I will not stand here and allow you or anybody to incriminate me!” Ramnath remonstrated. “Honourable member,” Sinanan pleaded. “I was a hostage!” Ramnath roared. “Honourable member, please,” Sinanan begged. “For six days!” Ramnath rumbled. “Honourable member...honourable member, please,” Sinanan beseeched. But Ramnath continued: “And you feel is a frivolous matter,” he growled, looking at Robinson-Regis. “So was the member for Chaguanas (Winston Dookeran),” he added heatedly.  “Honourable member, please,” Sinanan refrained. “Don’t tell me what to do!” Ramnath stated. “Honourable member, please,” Sinanan said again. But Ramnath’s tirade continued as he howled at Robinson-Regis: “You feel yuh father leave this in a will for you!” “Honourable member you have raised a point of order and I am ruling that you are out of order,” Sinanan said meekly, calling on Robinson-Regis to continue her contribution. The PNM MP again insisted that “the information was that the member for Couva South was the one who took the document (anmesty) out.”

Ramnath shot up again, saying that he would not tolerate the lies and fabrication. “Honourable member for Couva South please, conduct yourself,” Sinanan implored. The Speaker then advised the irate MP to await his turn since  he could speak during the debate. But Ramnath, not satisfied, said “Members are not allowed to lie and use their privilege to mislead and misinform the House!” he countered. “Honourable member you would have an opportunity, 75 minutes of it,” Sinanan counselled. “So you could say anything you want in this House?” Ramnath scoffed. “No you can’t,” Sinanan replied. “So you could say anything you want, eh, eh,” Ramnath said, raising the decibel level. “But you can’t,” Sinanan responded. “What protection do I have when a Minister in the presence of the media is lying to this House,” Ramnath roared. “Honourable member please, you would have your 75 minutes, and if it continues like this, I would suspend the sitting,” Sinanan said. “You could suspend me too! I don’t need to be here!” Ramnath challenged. Sinanan virtually tired by now, then turned to the general body of MPs, saying: “Honourable members please, I appealed to you at the beginning of the session to conduct yourselves properly and in accordance with the rules.” The Speaker called on Robinson-Regis to continue. But this time she stayed clear of repeating Ramnath’s alleged role in the coup. There is no Standing Order which deals with or prevents a member from “misleading” the House, because, parliamentary experts say, there is no way that the Speaker can rule on who is speaking the truth at any given moment in a debate. Instead MPs have the right to reply via personal explanations, or they can correct the record during the course of a debate. However all MPs are in the habit of  objecting, sometimes asking a member speaking to give way, when things are said about them which they deem to be untrue.