Speaker had the right to be 'heard in silence' – Skelton-Cline
Speaker Willock had moved to shut down a spat between Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) and the Opposition Leader over the ongoing immigration reform debacle in the territory, to which the speaker said, “Leader of the Opposition, I am to be heard in silence”.
However the Opposition Leader did not take too kindly to the assertiveness. “Mister Speaker, I am not a little kid… you are not talking to a child,” Hon Penn said.
“You going have to kick me out today,” the Opposition Leader further implored to which Hon Willock then stood to immediately move the House into a 5-minute recess, then issued a warning to the Opposition Leader against the insubordination after the break.
Speaker was right – Claude O. Skelton Cline
Social Commentator Mr Claude O. Skelton-Cline, in the Tuesday, June 19, 2019 edition of his ‘Honestly Speaking’ radio show's opening commentary, pointed out that the Speaker was correct in his approach, according to the Standing Orders of the Legislative Council governing the HoA.
He illustrated that, according to section No. 44 of the Standing Orders, “The Speaker in the Council [HoA] and the Chairman in any committee shall be responsible for the observance of the rules or order in the Council and Committee respectively, and their decision upon any point of order shall not be open to appeal and should not be reviewed by the Council except upon a substantive motion made after notice,” meaning the speaker had to power to exercise order in the House.
“I have never heard such language and thought it was quite interesting and said I might have to use that myself jokingly,” Skelton-Cline told his listing audience regarding the Speaker’s ‘I am to be heard in silence’ approach.
With a subtitle of ‘Speaker To Be Heard in Silence,’ section No. 45 says, “Whenever the Speaker or the Chairman rises during a debate, any member then speaking or offering to speak shall sit down and the council or committee shall be silent so that the Speaker may be heard without interruption.”
Speaker threatened Action
Following non-compliance from Hon Penn, the Speaker had reprimanded the insubordination and threatened ‘Action’ without a specific indication of what that action could be.
Skelton-Cline implored, “I thought that was quite curious and interesting that the phraseology he used, I suspect he didn’t have to say I would be heard in silence… I think that is when the Opposition Leader said that he is not a child and that the Speaker should know the rules.”
“But apparently here are the rules and the Speaker was exercising rightfully, according to the rules, his power,” the man of the cloth said.
According to Skelton-Cline, “Once he stands up, that speaks volume in and of itself and everybody in the House [should] know that the Speaker has stood and he or she is to be heard in silence.”
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14 Responses to “Speaker had the right to be 'heard in silence' – Skelton-Cline”
maduro/ turnbull all sit quiet for 8 years: all now none of them have the balls to let the people know what actually transpired with their monthly tax donations(mismanagement for eight years).there is substantial speculation by the voters of our homeland and now will be an opportune time for penn & associates to say something, clear the air(he was there in cabinet) where the people’s money went and how it got there.....
The faster we get all ndp gone the better for us all
Shame on smuff