Speaker Watt puts his credibility on the line to save PM Browne from MP Lewis’ questions

Speaker of the House Sir Gerald Watt continued to show his bias
against Opposition MPs during the sitting of Tuesday, March 26,
observers say.

The critics say that Watts made every effort to protect Prime
Minister Gaston Browne and restrict inquiries during the Questions
to the Prime Minister segment – even though they fell within the
parameters of the Standing Orders.

Reports say there was an onslaught of queries by St. John’s Rural
West MP Richard Lewis about a property-rental agreement
involving Gaston Andron Browne lll and the Government.

Accordingly, as Lewis began to ask about the agreement Watt began
to run interference. He declared that he would not allow certain
questions; ruled that the prime minister should not answer some
queries; or decided that Browne had already answered.

Further, Watt told Lewis that, based on the Standing Orders, he was
permitted only to question the prime minister about matters
pertaining to his ministry or to the general governance of the
country.

As a result, when Lewis asked the value of the West Indies Oil
Company (WIOC) property before it was sold to Browne’s son and
the value after renovations, Watt jumped in, telling the MP not to ask
questions about a private company’s business.

Lewis was directed by the Speaker to approach the company,
instead, and seek the information he was requesting.

However, in spite of Watt’s ongoing attempts to shield the prime
minister, the MP was not deterred.

Since the Government is now a minority shareholder in WIOC, Lewis
asked who the shareholders are and what percentage of shares each
person or entity holds.

Again Watt intervened, arguing that the information could be found
by a search of the Registry of Companies.

Meanwhile, as the questioning continued, Speaker Watt sat by as
Prime Minister Browne hurled insults at the Opposition bench,
pausing only when a point of order was raised by Leader of the
Opposition Jamale Pringle.

Still, the Speaker refused to acknowledge that he was being unfair –
even when Browne refused to yield on a point of order, declaring
that he would not take his seat.

To add insult to injury, Watt then warned Pringle that he did not
want to hear any lectures from him.

That was Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle.

Standing Order 23.2 provides that questions put to the prime
minister may relate to current matters of national importance, or on
the general performance of the government and government
agencies.

Therefore, at the end of the session, Speaker Watt made an attempt
to mitigate his error in interpreting the Standing Order. He claimed
he had only then realized that matters of current national
importance can be quite wide.

However, he said, it does not cover every political argument
between the Government and Opposition. “It has to be genuine
matters of national importance,” he said.

Watt told the Opposition MPs that when he decides their questions
have gone beyond national importance and reached the brink of
“national melee,” or just political banter, it is his duty to bring it to
the attention of the Parliament.

Pundits agree that the role of the Speaker is not to determine what
questions the MPs ask – only that they fall in line with the Standing
Orders.

And since taxpayers’ money was used to renovate a building that
belongs to the prime minister’s son, Lewis’ questions fall in the
realm of matters of national importance, they say.

The Speaker is the presiding officer of the Parliament, and he is
expected to act with both authority and impartiality. 

The handful of people viewing the sitting via the ABS Facebook page
expressed disgust at the Speaker’s behaviour.

One woman was angry to the point of stating she could not take the
clown show now called a parliament, and logged off, citing the
Speaker’s obvious bias.

“Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first turn mad,” was
what another person said in response to Tuesday’s sitting.