Official Opposition Leader Hubert Ingraham and Free National Movement Deputy Leader Brent Symonette were blasted in the House of Assembly yesterday following their noticeable absence from the opening of Parliament, the second since the Christie Administration was elected to office in 2002.
Prime Minister Perry Christie called the absence of Mr. Ingraham the most scandalous experience he has had to witness from a leader in the country’s entire history of parliamentary democracy.
Mr. Christie stressed that what is particularly wrong is the fact that Mr. Ingraham recently accused the PLP MPs of being undemocratic because of their “refusal to answer questions put to them in writing in the House of Assembly”.
“I ask, where is the greater threat to parliamentary democracy when on the prorogation and the summoning of a new parliament, the person who represents himself to be the alternative prime minister does not appear? His deputy does not appear and they have not provided notice or excuse to the parliament or the speaker,” Mr. Christie said.
House Speaker Oswald Ingraham then confirmed that he had received no communication from Mr. Ingraham or Mr. Symonette.
When questioned on the issue, FNM Senator Tommy Turnquest said, “You would have to ask Mr. Ingraham.”
According to North Eleuthera MP Alvin Smith, both Mr. Ingraham and Mr. Symonette had prior engagements.
When contacted by The Bahama Journal, Mr. Ingraham said yesterday evening that he was in the United States for his annual physical, which had been scheduled a long time ago.
Asked to respond to the claim made by the prime minister that his absence amounted to a threat to democracy, Mr. Ingraham said, “Incompetence and inefficiency in government for which Mr. Christie is directly responsible are the greatest threat to democracy.”
He said he would comment further when he returns to the country.
In the House of Assembly, the prime minister indicated that he had been advised of why Mr. Ingraham did not attend the ceremony.
“I simply ask that everything I say is quantified. If he were to have gone to a hospital somewhere getting a checkup or their families have had some serious occurrence, I would understand,” Mr. Christie said.
“But I am working on the presumption that they have gone on political business, total disrespect for the Bahamian people.”
It was at this point that Mr. Christie recalled that even when his party was at its lowest ebb during the opening of parliament in 1992, he and other PLPs were forced to walk through a mob of people who in their euphoria were spitting and cursing at them.
“But we agreed to participate,” he said. “We came in. We sat as a new opposition because of our respect for the constitutional democracy of this country. I want Bahamians everywhere to understand that men who come to them asking for their votes are not worthy, simply because by definition they continue to demonstrate a total disrespect not just for the parliament, but for the people.”
Earlier, Independent MP Tennyson Wells also pointed to the absence of Mr. Ingraham and Mr. Symonette, moments after extending congratulatory remarks to his former independent colleague, now FNM MP, Larry Cartwright.
Mr. Wells expressed serious concern that on the first day of Mr. Cartwright’s return to the House of Assembly as a member of the Official Opposition, neither his party leader nor deputy leader was present.
“Neither of those two gentlemen saw it appropriate to be here,” he charged.
“They are not here to welcome the new member. They are not here to carry out their constitutional duty as the alternative government, and I think something is fundamentally wrong.
“This is the first time in my experience in this parliament where I have seen both the leader and the deputy leader of the Official Opposition not present for the opening of parliament. And no one has said anything about it. They should have at least sent a message to the speaker. I think this is total disrespect to the public.”
Mr. Wells wished Mr. Cartwright every success in his move.
“I don’t know how much I can help him in the future. I appreciated his support in the past and I trust that one of these days he would join me again,” Mr. Wells said.
On the issue of Mr. Cartwright’s return to the FNM, Prime Minister Christie added, “I hope he is aware of the fact that he is sitting in the House of Assembly because the PLP chose not to run against him the last election, and that the support he received from those PLPs in Long Island is a part of his victory.”
In brief comments, Mr. Cartwright told his parliamentary colleagues that he is prepared to deal with the challenges that would most likely arise from his decision, one that he felt was in the best interest of the people.
Mr. Cartwright thanked the government for its guidance and protection over the past three and half years, stressing his intention to now seek similar privileges as a member of the Official Opposition.
“I would be remiss if I did not thank the independent thinkers for their encouragement, enlightenment and support and I now look forward to working together for the united and reinforced opposition to help ensure that our people gets the type of governance they deserve,” the new FNM MP said.
By: Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
