‘Unruly and disrespectful’ Senators threaten President

President of the Senate, Dr Linda Baboolal, yesterday delivered a stern rebuke to Senators reading the riot act to those whose behaviour, she said, was becoming unruly and disrespectful.

She made it clear that she would not tolerate senators shouting at each other across the floor, being irrelevant or repetitious. She warned that she would not be intimidated by anyone. After a routine start to the sitting, Baboolal rose and sternly delivered her reproach. The Senate President ruled: “I have seen members of this honourable House shout across at each other, call each other names, ignore the rulings of the Chair, threaten the Chair, engage in loud cross-talk, waste the Parliament’s time by participating in irrelevancy and repetition, and show disregard for the Standing Orders of the Senate...I will be failing in my duty if I do not take the steps necessary to reverse this trend of behaviour in the House, which is slowly becoming unruly and disrespectful.”

Ruling that contributions in the Senate and its committees must be relevant to the current Bill or motion, Baboolal said: “Much more could be accomplished if members were to utilise their time and energies more productively and prudently by sticking to the issues before them...” Baboolal said the Senate’s procedures were based on the long-standing traditions of respect and integrity of all members, which it was her duty to uphold. She vowed: “I will do so, fairly and courageously, and without fear and/or intimidation by anyone. The dignity of this august house must be maintained.” Baboolal also warned: “On the issue of repetition, I shall terminate the speech of anyone who persists, despite my warning, in repeating arguments which, although relevant, were already addressed by the same speaker in the same speech or by other members of the Senate in the same debate... “The use of unparliamentary language including offensive, provocative or threatening language is strictly prohibited and will be ruled out of order.

Issues before the courts will also be deemed irrelevant and not permitted.” She said that Senate practice deemed that although a Senator could refer in summary to previous speeches in the Senate, wholesale quoting of such speeches was out of order. “Members are restrained from commenting on the proceedings in the other House in the current session...(This) will amount to fruitless arguments between the Houses by members who will be unable to respond to each other.” Baboolal ruled out cross-bench banter, warning: “While another member is speaking, members who are not shall remain silent and shall not interrupt except in accordance with the rules of this House. There shall be no loud cross talking in this Senate”.   

Saying she was seeking to uphold the Senate’s dignity, she said: “Rulings once given by the Chair are final, and are not open for question or debate, and they can neither be challenged or dismissed unless on a substantive motion moved for that specific purpose”. In an immediate reaction, Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate, Wade Mark, using measured words, said: “The President has expressed her views; we are seeking a meeting with her to express our views. “We too have grave concerns. Depending on the outcome of that meeting, we will then decide what further steps we will need to take to deal with our concerns.”