Speaker tells executive: If you want a war, you can get a war

House Speaker Halson Moultrie abruptly adjourned proceedings in the House of Assembly today after he accused the executive of disrespecting his authority in Parliament and suggested that he is prepared to go to war over the issue if necessary.

The speaker, who has repeatedly petitioned for the independence of Parliament, said the events of the day represented the “final straw”.

“The Cabinet Office seems to think that it controls the Parliament…” Moultrie said.

The speaker said he reached out to Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis and Bamboo Town MP Renward Wells, who is leader of government business in the House, yesterday to determine how to proceed following confirmation that a staffer had contracted COVID-19.

“We waited and we waited and we waited and got no response,” Moultrie said.

He added that the House of Assembly had yet to be sanitized since the chief clerk contracted COVID-19.

“Yet today, despite the speaker indicating that the staff of this Parliament should be in quarantine as a result of them not being able to take the COVID test, Ms. Lightbourn was called upon to be here this morning, in breach of the request or instruction by the speaker that the staff should be in quarantine,” Moultrie said.

“Now this for me, was my final straw when it comes to the disrespect of this institution and the disrespect of the office of the speaker,” he said.

“I see it as a grave disorder, and according to the rules of this Parliament, if in the opinion of the speaker, the behavior of any member is creating disorder, disrespect to this Parliament, the speaker will authorize by rule 88, subsection 9, to have that circumstance corrected and to adjourn this parliament until such circumstance is corrected.”

“Now, I don’t necessarily pick fights or wars, but if you want a war, you can get a war. They say if you don’t want a war, don’t start one. So don’t come in this Parliament talking about reading books of war because more than one person in this Parliament reads books of war.

“As a consequence, pursuant to rule 88 (9) this Parliament is hereby adjourned to the 3^rd of May at 10 a.m.”

Rule 88 (9) reads, “In the case of disorder arising in the House, the speaker may, if he thinks it necessary to do so, adjourn the House without putting any question or suspend the sitting to a time names by him.”

Dr. Minnis previously informed the House that he read books of war.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/speaker-tells-executive-if-you-want-a-war-you-can-get-a-war/