The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunmedia.net

HOUSE Speaker Kendal Major yesterday urged parliamentarians to consider recommendations made by the Constitutional commission to allow private citizens recourse to libelous or defamatory statements made by Members.

However, Dr Major maintained that the freedom of speech enjoyed by parliamentarians in the House of Assembly was vital to the political process.

Dr Major ordered that statements made by Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller against a private citizen in August be expunged from the record in a bid to “make amends”.

Dr Major said: “As the servant, therefore, I was disappointed that a private citizen, with no recourse to justice, was defamed in this Honourable House. As a result of this occurrence and upon reflection I feel a moral sense of duty to make amends notwithstanding the fact that the damage was done. Consequently I do hereby order that the statement made by the Honourable Member for Tall Pines with respect to the highlighting of the name of the individual be expunged from the records of this House.”

In an emotional contribution in the House of Assembly on Monday, Mr Miller named a person he believes ordered the brutal murder of his son, Mario, 11 years ago.

Mr Miller made the revelation during his contribution on a Bill that would allow government to hire more Supreme Court judges.

Dr Major said: “I wish to extend my personal apologies to the person who was defamed and also to the general public for this unfortunate incident. I wish to advise Honourable Members that incidents of this nature ought never to occur again in this Honourable place. I implore Members to shoulder their responsibility to keep debates at a standard befitting of high office.”

“My duty as Chair,” he said, “is to not only to protect Members from and chastise Members for the violence of words and lack of compliance to rules, I am also duty bound to keep parliamentary debates to an acceptable standard. In pursuance of these solemn duties I also seek to protect those who we represent from unwarranted verbal attacks in this place.

Dr Major added: “Members need to understand that this absolute freedom of speech that we enjoy should always be tempered with a measure of self-restraint, recognizing the individual rights of private citizens in the spirit of natural law.”

In August, the official Opposition accused Prime Minister Perry Christie and Dr Major of “rank hypocrisy” for failing to insist that Mr Miller’s remarks be expunged from the parliamentary record.

FNM chairman Darron Cash accused the Speaker of “bending over backwards” to defend Mr Miller – a striking contrast to the recent treatment of opposition leader Dr Hubert Minnis, who was named and suspended by Dr Major after he refused to withdraw “offensive” comments ahead of the continued debate on the Stem Cell Research and Therapy Act 2013.

After making comments in connection with Prime Minister Christie and Lyford Cay resident Peter Nygard, Dr Minnis’ remarks were expunged, and he was suspended from the House because he failed to apologise.

Mr Christie later reprimanded Mr Miller for his accusations, stating a personal belief that the House of Assembly was not the forum in which to lodge such allegations.

Dr Minnis said that he also disagreed with the use of parliamentary privilege to accuse someone with impunity, but added that the failures of the judicial system are partially responsible.

Yesterday, Dr Major said: “In spite of the potential for irrevocable damage to individual private citizens, the unqualified freedom of speech that Members of Parliament enjoy in debates is vital to the workings of the institution.

He added: “To get rid of it, as some have suggested, will be tantamount to throwing out the baby with the bath water.”