Put an end to the vulgarity in Parliament – Ramkarran urges Nadir

Former Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran has called on the current holder of the office, Manzoor Nadir to put to a stop to the vulgarity that has been in evidence among MPs during the ongoing budget debate.

Ramkarran, in his column in today’s Sunday Stabroek, said that the Speaker had vast discretionary power to bring Parliament to heel. A two-term holder of the Office of Speaker, Ramkarran said that Parliament had become a den of misogyny, homophobia and other ills.

He defended the reporting by the press of the behaviour of MPs in recent days.

Ramkarran said: “I have read many of the articles, letters and comments concerning the behaviour of MPs during the debate on the Budget. The press is absolutely right to bring this slow descent into vulgarity into the public domain and to print in its disgusting detail what Members are saying. The press is fully and absolutely protected from any liability of any kind for their accurate reportage.

“The Speaker has a duty to stop the vulgarity and there are provisions in the Standing Orders to deal with members who violate the rules as to order by shouting across the aisle or making vulgar or otherwise offensive remarks, even while sitting. There are also the Speaker’s vast discretionary powers that are not written in any rule book but can be exercised to great effect. Parliament has to be brought to heel. It has been allowed to go to rot and has become a den of misogyny, homophobia, disparagement, denigration and rudeness. The hurling of aspersions may appear to injure the victims, but among opinion makers, they do more harm to the offenders, who must be named”.