Residents, the business community and the United Kingdom’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office are all anxious for the House of Assembly (HoA) to be dissolved after 8 long years of National Democratic Party (NDP) rule [2011-2019]. Photo: VINO/File

Many political observers have also said the 8 years have seen the lawmaking Chambers sank to its lowest level with the Speaker Hon Ingrid A. Moses-Scatliffe, that was clearly bias and many residents were turned off. Photo:GIS

Former NDP spokeswoman and Legislator, Ms Eileene L. Parsons OBE, labelled the body as a “circus”, and many residents, current and former Members were embarrassed by the childish level of debates and the disrespect the highest lawmaking body had reached, following the 2011 general elections that saw the NDP took power. Photo: VINO/File

Many political observers have also said the 8 years have seen the lawmaking Chambers sank to its lowest level with a Speaker, Hon Ingrid A. Moses-Scatliffe, that was clearly bias and many residents were turned off.

Ms Moses-Scatliffe will be remembered for rules that were only enforced on Opposition Members.

The worst HoA in years

Over the past 8 years, some politicians used the HoA to go after ordinary residents with misinformation about their character, verbally victimised them; since elected members enjoy impunity from prosecution once in the Chambers, throwing words at civil servants and each other and against businesses and industry leaders they do not like.

Politicians of the HoA were also accused of telling blatant lies during the Question and Answer segments.

Former NDP spokeswoman and Legislator, Ms Eileene L. Parsons OBE, labelled the body as a “circus”, and many residents, current and former Members were embarrassed by the childish level of debates and the disrespect the highest lawmaking body had reached, following the 2011 general elections that saw the NDP took power.

The morals were low, as Members were hardly ever on time for the start of the sitting, to the dismay of some. At times, even after the meetings started, the Speaker always struggled to maintain a quorum, because some Members demonstrated a lack of interest in being at the sessions.

No public input on Bills 

Bills in the HoA were never discussed with the public and relevant stakeholders and there was an illegal sitting last month protested by the Opposition and for the most part, the Administration with Leader of Government Business, Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Honourable D. Orlando Smith (AL) bullying Bills through the house.

Many laws were passed where Members did not show a clear understanding of said law, eg the Protocol for Financial Management that went into regulations, and has been violated without any sanctions.

last Sitting?

All eyes will be on the Six Sitting of the Fourth Session scheduled to take place on Tuesday, January 15, 2019, according to HoA Spokesman Linton V. Leonard. The public wants to know if this will be the last Sitting before the HoA is dissolved, paving way for nomination and new general election dates.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 10:00 AM and carried live on CBN Radio 90.9 FM or you can log on to www.cbnvirginislands.com