Searchlight Logo
special_image

    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
R. Rose
August 19, 2016

Antigua senators stick for principle

On Monday of this week, in Antigua and Barbuda, one of our sister states in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), there was a rare occurrence in one of its Houses of Parliament that deserves the attention of all the citizens of this region. The Senate there had before it, among other matters, a Governance Provisions Bill, which had been passed by the elected Representatives the week before and which the Senate was expected to approve as well.{{more}}

However, in an unexpected show of independence and impartiality, the Senate, acting in its own right, unanimously agreed to reject the Bill and to send it back to the “Lower House” for reconsideration and amendment. Now, the Senate of Antigua and Barbuda consists of 17 members, 10 of whom are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. This means that even those 10, appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister had the guts to stand up for what they believed was right and to go against the wishes of the government which appointed them.

The Bill in question sought to give the Cabinet the power to transfer employees of statutory corporations, among other powers. This was contained in Clause 7 of the Bill which provoked public outcry. The Government argued, in justification of the Bill, that it was important to prevent senior employees of such corporations from being “stagnant” or “entrenched” in their jobs; to avoid such senior personnel from becoming “unresponsive” and “numb to changes” and to treat their offices as their “personal fiefdom”.

But in a very rare act of solidarity, for only the second time in Antigua’s history, government Senators joined with the Opposition to reject the Bill and to send it back to the Lower House. Government Senator Wigley George led the principled charge, arguing that the Bill gave “excessive powers to the Minister”, and jeopardized the security of employment. He also cautioned the government against “micromanagement”.

The previous instance of government senators voting against government legislation had occurred in 2013 under the previous administration of then Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer. The four government senators involved then were promptly fired and replaced. This time it is the then opposition, the Antigua Labour Party, which is in government. What has been its response to this humiliating rejection? Typical of politics and politicians in the Caribbean, current Prime Minister Gaston Browne says that he will send the Bill back to the Senate for approval and Government Senators will have no choice but to “pass it or resign”. As the old saying goes, “no better the beef, no better the barrel”.

IMPLICATIONS

This may have happened in Antigua but it could well be almost any country in the English-speaking Caribbean. In spite of all our glib talk about “Parliamentary democracy”, members of Parliament are expected to toe the line of those in their leadership, unhesitatingly. There is no room for back-benchers among elected officials, for all who succeed at the polls on the government side are given posts, making Cabinet dominant even within the governing side and hence virtually creating rule by Cabinet.

If that obtains for elected members, it is even worse for those appointed “on the advice of the Prime Minister”. PM Gaston Browne may be crude in his public pronouncement but the same expectations run right through CARICOM. That is why governments are reluctant in the small countries to go for independent senators. They want more of the boys, even if they were defeated at the polls. They can be counted on to say “Aye”, and to hell with principle or conscience.

This practice makes a mockery of independent thinking and violates freedom of conscience. It is not confined to governments alone. Opposition parties are no different in their approach to such matters, just ask Mrs Anesia Baptiste.

It is a serious matter which arose during the Constitutional review process of 2003-2009. It engaged the attention, not only of the Constitution Review Commission but also of many members of the general public and was raised time and again in public discussions. In the long run, these enlightening discourses reached nowhere and we are still at square one.

(More on this next week)

Renwick Rose is a community activist and social commentator.

  • FacebookComments
  • ALSO IN THE NEWS
    PM Gonsalves confident  of election victory in  November
    Front Page
    PM Gonsalves confident of election victory in November
    Webmaster 
    October 31, 2025
    With general elections set to take place in St Vincent and the Grenadines on November 27,2025 leader of the Unity Labour Party, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, is...
    Tax reductions, increased pay  top list of  Independence ‘goodies’
    Front Page
    Tax reductions, increased pay top list of Independence ‘goodies’
    Webmaster 
    October 31, 2025
    Tax reduction, increase in allowances, and promotions are among the main features in what is commonly referred to as the Independence “goodies bag” an...
    Election  machinery  in high gear
    Front Page
    Election machinery in high gear
    Webmaster 
    October 31, 2025
    As the Vincentian electorate prepares to go to the polls in general elections on Thursday, November 27, 2025, the wheels involved in the electoral pro...
    Man found in Fenton Mountain was strangled, devastated family says
    Front Page
    Man found in Fenton Mountain was strangled, devastated family says
    Webmaster 
    October 31, 2025
    The family of a 24- year- old male, who allegedly was strangled to death and his body left at the Fenton Mountains in a car alongside that of a woman,...
    Cultural Ambassadors ‘Elated’ on their elevation
    Front Page
    Cultural Ambassadors ‘Elated’ on their elevation
    Webmaster 
    October 31, 2025
    Recognised among eight cultural ambassadors last Monday, October 27,2025, carnival mas band leader of High Voltage, Kingsley “Whiteman” Collis, and mu...
    Thief says prison is not for people like him
    Front Page
    Thief says prison is not for people like him
    Webmaster 
    October 31, 2025
    A young man convicted as a thief has told a Senior Magistrate that if he is sent to prison, he may be influenced to commit other types of crimes as th...
    News
    NDP’s Shevern John outlines plans for North Windward
    News
    NDP’s Shevern John outlines plans for North Windward
    Webmaster 
    October 31, 2025
    New Democratic Party(NDP) candidate, Shevern John, has outlined numerous plans for the constituency of North Windward which she is contesting in the u...
    Gibson-Velox proclaims longevity for a victorious NDP
    News
    Gibson-Velox proclaims longevity for a victorious NDP
    Webmaster 
    October 31, 2025
    The candidate of the New Democratic Party (NDP) for the West St George Constituency, Laverne Gibson-Velox claims that St Vincent and the Grenadines is...
    Civil war in Venezuela a problem for SVG says PM Gonsalves
    News
    Civil war in Venezuela a problem for SVG says PM Gonsalves
    Webmaster 
    October 31, 2025
    A civil war, or any war in Venezuela will not only be problematic for the Nicolas Maduro-led nation but will create serious security concerns for coun...
    Chauncey/Kingstown man breaks into prison, gets one year jail time
    From the Courts, News
    Chauncey/Kingstown man breaks into prison, gets one year jail time
    Webmaster 
    October 31, 2025
    A man from Chauncey and Kingstown who broke into His Majesty’s Prison and was trapped inside for approximately two hours after he was unable to escape...
    Government dissatisfied with developers on Canouan
    News
    Government dissatisfied with developers on Canouan
    Webmaster 
    October 31, 2025
    Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has indicated the need for a serious conversation with the developers in the north of Canouan, as things are not goi...

    E-EDITION
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Subscribe Now
    • Interactive Media Ltd. • P.O. Box 152 • Kingstown • St. Vincent and the Grenadines • Phone: 784-456-1558 © Copyright Interactive Media Ltd.. All rights reserved.
    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok