“Nature” unmasked, Parliament sitting suspended

The refusal of one Opposition member to wear his face mask forced House Speaker Rochelle Forde to suspend Monday’s Parliamentary sitting.

Around 10:45 am on Monday, October 17, Forde noticed that Opposition member Nigel “Nature” Stephenson was not wearing his face mask.

She asked him to put the mask back on, saying she could not allow him to remain in the Chamber without a mask.

But Stephenson, the representative for the South Leeward constituency, sat stoic, seemingly unmoved by the requests.

Forde asked him to leave the sitting and advised him to visit the nurses’ station if he was feeling unwell.

She also asked Opposition leader, Dr Godwin Friday to intervene but he declined.

Forde then warned Stephenson that if he did not comply, she would be forced to exercise her authority set out in the Standing Orders.

Stephenson remained seated without his mask and at 10.49 am, Forde suspended the sitting for five minutes.

The sitting resumed at 10.55 am and Friday was invited to give his remarks.

After offering various congratulations, Friday addressed Stephenson’s actions, saying it was not a frivolous matter.

“We had spoken about this over the weekend and he was not sure he would be here today. He has agreed to a compromise, he will be out of the Chamber until he feels comfortable,” Friday said.

Stephenson later returned to the Chamber and was seen wearing a mask when he rose to ask a question during the Question and Answer period.