Phillip Paulwell - FILE PHOTO
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Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives Phillip Paulwell
The Leaders of Government and Opposition Business in the House of Representatives are to meet with Speaker Juliet Holness on Monday concerning Tuesday's chaotic sitting of the House.
The meeting is scheduled for 10 am.
The Opposition had moved a motion to censure the government over its handling of the vote on the United Nation's General Assembly's vote to end the embargo on Cuba, from which Jamaica abstained.
The Opposition accused the government of deceit when it brought a resolution to parliament condemning the embargo while abstaining from the vote the very next day.
Member of Parliament for Western St Andrew Anthony Hylton moved the motion, with the expectation that it would be debated next week, but the Speaker ruled that the matter be debated and closed on Tuesday.
This did not sit well with the members of the Opposition, who requested time for a fulsome debate, rising to their feet, at one point forcing the halt of proceedings.
The sitting was adjourned without any further contributions.
Following the adjournment MPs Mikael Phillips and Desmond Mckenzie became engaged in a verbal spat.
Mr Phillips has since apologised for using expletives in the House, stating that it was in response to Mr McKenzie making a reference to his deceased mother.
Mr McKenzie has refused to apologise, maintaining that he did not say anything derogatory or in any other manner that would warrant an apology.
And Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives Phillip Paulwell has welcomed the meeting, saying it is a necessity, given recent events affecting the conduct and functioning of the House of Representatives.
But, in a letter to the House Speaker, Mr Paulwell expressed concern about what he described as her partisan approach to managing the House
In that regard, he says the tone of her correspondence could undermine efforts to resolve the issues that have brought the the Parliament to its present state of disorder.
Mr Paulwell says the role of the Opposition to hold the Government to account and ensuring transparency must be strengthened rather than weakened.
He said what happened on November 3 "cannot become the new normal."
"The Opposition brought a censure motion on Cuba to the House; we were not allowed to speak on our own motion. The debate was closed without us being heard, and the sitting was adjourned," he noted.
Asserting that this is neither fair nor democratic, and "not how Parliament should work," he said he looked forward to "a frank discussion to ensure fairness, respect for the standing orders from all sides, and that every member, including the Opposition, is given a proper opportunity to be heard."
In his letter, he added that the current deep rooted distrust can only be overcome with full acknowledgment of the Opposition's role in preserving the country's democracy.
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