Speaker defers statement on standing orders

Hendrick Alexander, Speaker of the House, has said that he will wait before making a statement in relation to the standing orders – rules which govern the proceedings of Parliament – and the way some of them are understood and interpreted by members of the House.{{more}}

“It seems to me that some members are not sure or familiar with certain orders as they are and that we are governed by,” Alexander said during Tuesday’s session of Parliament.

He said he had intended to make the statement on Tuesday, but decided to wait.

“But under consideration, I would leave that for another time; I would not go through with that now,” he continued.

For some time now, the Speaker and Members of the Opposition have been at loggerheads in the House, and the Leader of the Opposition, Arnhim Eustace, has gone as far as making a public call for Alexander to resign.

During the July 24 sitting of the House, Eustace cited standing order 81.1, which he said could be used for matters that were not covered by other rules in the House. He said this section could be used to express disappointment with the manner in which the Speaker was handling a matter.

Tuesday’s sitting of the House was attended by representatives of the Organization of East Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat, including Director General Dr Len Ishmael; representatives of the local credit union movement and newly inducted Caricom Youth Ambassadors. (DD)