Speaker suppresses Opposition MPs
Kaieteur News – Yesterday the National Assembly Spokesperson was forced to suspend Opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones along with MPs (MPs) Sherod Duncan, Amanza Walton-Desir, Jermaine Figueira, Sherwayne Holder, Natasha Singh-Lewis all the rest of the sitting during the afternoons after they continued filming the transactions via mobile devices. This was done despite Standing Order 45 prohibiting the same.
Opposition MP Tabitha Sarabo-Halley
Opposition MPs at the time also called for the removal of Government MP and Public Affairs Minister Kwame McCoy after he allegedly assaulted another MP, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, the day before.
Just as the Budget Estimates were about to begin, Christopher Jones stood and asked McCoy to be removed from chamber business. Speaker Manzoor Nadir reiterated that Jones should file an appropriate motion for his application. However, his response did not register well with other Opposition MPs who immediately began to bang on their desks in protest, shouting “Kwame must go.”
The Speaker had asked Jones to take his seat at least three times before stopping the Senate.
Alleged assault
Opposition MPs’ protest came after reports surfaced Wednesday that MP Tabitha Sarabo-Halley was hit in the face with a mobile phone allegedly by Minister McCoy. Claims outlined that the two exchanges had words McCoy confronted her on the corridors of the Arthur Chung Conference Center (ACCC) where the alleged attack was said to have taken place. Minister McCoy, in a statement, denied the allegations of assault but admitted orally.
Minister of Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy
“I wholeheartedly deny that I attacked Ms Halley as she has claimed or at all. At no time did I touch Ms Halley on my phone or any part of my body, ”he said in a statement.
The Minister continued “At the time in question, outside the Senate Chamber, I had just completed an oral exchange with Mr. Keith Lowenfield, who attended the Delivery Committee. After the departure of Mr. Lowenfield, I started talking to Minister Anand Persaud. I observed Ms. attendance. Halley, who was about four feet away from me. We exchanged words, but had no physical contact whatsoever. Minister Persaud was present with me at all relevant times. Ms Halley’s allegation is completely false, malicious and intended to cause me embarrassment and public ridicule. ”
Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon at a press conference Wednesday night condemned McCoy’s actions and demanded an apology from the MP. However, he remained tight-lipped about the details of the alleged attack. According to Harmon, there were several witnesses to the alleged attack, but he declined to specify whether the witnesses were Government or Opposition MPs or even Parliamentary Office staff.
Harmon told the press “I don’t have to tell you who these witnesses are. They are witnesses from whom the police took statements. These are people who saw what really happened. It doesn’t matter where they come from. ”
In addition, when the media demanded more details about the incident, Opposition Public Relations (PRO) Officer warned Imran Khan not to turn the press conference “into an investigation” as that is the role of the police.
Khan told the media, “What worries me is the fact that we seem to want to do an investigation before we make any correspondence on an issue. The facts are in front of you. An MP has made an allegation that she has been assaulted by another Member of Parliament. One needs no further facts to report that in the newspaper. ”
Also on Thursday, another press conference was held, this time involving MPs Cathy Hughes, Natasha Khan and Amanza Walton-Desir who said they felt unsafe after attacking their fellow MPs. They said their unsafe feeling was what prompted Chief Whip Christopher Jones to ask for McCoy to be removed from the House.
Meanwhile, camera shots during the time of the alleged assault have proved unreliable. According to Prime Minister Mark Phillips, the pictures reviewed in his presence and those of other Opposition MPs revealed no sign of physical assault. The police will now have to rely on eyewitness accounts of the alleged assault to complete their investigations.
Statements have emerged from coalition parties, Working People’s Alliance (WPA), the Alliance for Change (AFC), Volda Lawrence, Reform of the National People’s Congress (PNCR), and besides the PNCR itself in condemn McCoy’s alleged actions.