Snatching of Speaker’s Mace: National Assembly suspends 8 Opposition MPs

The National Assembly in the wee hours of Friday adopted a recommendation from the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges thus effectively suspending eight A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Opposition Members of Parliament who participated in the infamous Mace grab and disruptions of the National Assembly sitting on December 29, 2021.
The report from the Privileges Committee was laid in the National Assembly during Thursday’s sitting which ran past midnight.

The Committee was tasked with considering a Privilege Motion, which was tabled by Government Chief Whip Gail Teixeira and stated that the eight Opposition Members on December 29, 2021, attempted to prevent the second and third readings of the Natural Resources Fund Bill No 20 of 2021, conducted themselves in a gross disorderly, contumacious, and disrespectful manner, and repeatedly ignored the authority of the Assembly and that of the Speaker, and thereby committing contempt and breaches of privileges.
After meeting on five occasions and considering the evidence, the committee recommended suspensions against the MPs in its report. That report was tabled and debated in the National Assembly and sometime around 01:00h on Friday, it was adopted following a majority vote by the Government’s side.
This now paves the way for suspension of Opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones, Ganesh Mahipaul, Sherod Duncan and Natasha Singh-Lewis for four consecutive sittings each over their attempts to disrupt the passage of the NRF Bill and ignoring the authority of the speaker.
MPs Annette Ferguson and Vinceroy Jordan are suspended for six consecutive sittings over severe and egregious violations by removing the Parliamentary Mace from its rightful position not only damaging the object but also injuring and assaulting a staff of the Parliament Office.
Meanwhile, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, who entered the communication control room of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre and destroyed several pieces of audio-visual equipment, is suspended for six sittings.
Additionally, Maureen Philadelphia is also facing a suspension for six consecutive sittings for verbally assaulting a Parliament staff.
However, prior to the House approving the suspension, Opposition Member Khemraj Ramjattan objected to the Privileges Committee’s report being heard, citing among other things, that a case had been filed in the court by the Opposition to block the National Assembly from adopting the suspension.
“This shouldn’t move further because of the fact that there has been court action filed and in keeping with your [previous] ruling… once in a court of law, it becomes sub judice [for the National Assembly to move forward with],” Ramjattan posited.
But this objection was set aside by House Speaker Manzoor Nadir, who used his discretion to proceed with the motion and recommendation.

“In this case, we were presented with the filing [Wednesday] afternoon – a filing and not [before a Judge as was the case in previous rulings]. But in all of this, throughout all the jurisdiction, it comes down to, in the end also, the discretion of the Speaker. And I’m happy to say in this case, my discretion is founded in Constitution, convention and in commonwealth practices,” the Speaker contended.
Moreover, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, was one of the MPs who debated on the motion and presented extensively on the doctrine of separation of powers. He emphasised that the conduct and discipline of Members of the National Assembly are “intrinsically, inherently and innately” parliamentary functions.
“So, if another agency or organ of the State wants to be part of those functions, it is that other agency that has to be careful that it does not trespass upon the province of Parliament… In this particular situation, it is the Judiciary that must exercise vigilance, circumspection, caution and care that it does not exceed and trespass in to the provincial responsibility of this Parliament,” he argued.
Meanwhile, the other speakers were Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira and Opposition MP and Deputy Speaker Lenox Shuman – both of whom outlined the need for the Opposition Members to be sanctioned for their disruptive behaviour to prevent reoccurrence.
Teixeira pointed out that Members cannot pretend that nothing happened especially since the MPs were all present in the House. She noted that as the current longest serving MP in the House, she has never witnessed such behaviour, contending that the incident is of such great magnitude that it warrants action to be taken.
“What transpired on December 29 [2021] will go down in the history of our Parliament as one of the worst images and reflection of the integrity and the behaviour of our elected officials of in the National Assembly. This level of collective vulgarity by the Members of the Opposition side, in the APNU/AFC, in this case, cannot be treated lightly,” the Government Chief Whip stated.
On the other hand, Shuman – the representative of the Joinder List on the Opposition side – urged his Opposition colleagues to think about the kind of politician and leader they want to be for their constituency.
“We have Standing Orders… they are built within the confines of a structure that we all subscribe to the minute we took our oath… I would say unequivocally that I support this motion and I hope that all of the Members of this House, and whatever future membership that comes after us, that they draw from this and take the positive from it that we as parliamentarians cannot and should not condone behaviours of such,” Shuman noted.