The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

HOUSE Speaker Halson Moultrie does not expect to see Englerston MP Glenys Hanna Martin in Parliament when it convenes today after he named and suspended her last week.

If Mrs Hanna Martin does show up for the session she could be sensationally escorted off the premises because after he ordered disciplinary measures on the MP during the last sitting, Speaker Moultrie notified the sergeant-at-arms that she is not to enter the precincts until he has said otherwise.

“The Speaker will convene Parliament as usual and we will go through the order of business as presented by the government,” Speaker Moultrie said yesterday when he was contacted by The Tribune.

“As Speaker, I don’t expect to see Glenys Hanna Martin in the precincts of Parliament. But I understand the Official Opposition is attending and they intend to bring the member for Englerston along with them.

“They have determined my ruling was wrong and null and void. But there is a process and that is a substantive motion should be made if you believe the Speaker was wrong and that has not been done.”

Yesterday during a press conference at the Progressive Liberal Party’s headquarters, PLP Leader Philip “Brave” Davis was resolute in his position that the Official Opposition regarded Speaker Moultrie’s actions as wrong, adding that they all intended to attend proceedings today.

He told reporters he met with both Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and the Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly Renward Wells, but walked away dissatisfied as there “appeared to be no middle ground” in this matter.

However, Speaker Moultrie said yesterday he did not meet with Mr Davis. He said there was an attempt by the opposition through Mr Wells to meet, but there was a clash in schedules.

“I hope that it will be corrected (by the end of the day),” Mr Davis said.

“I spoke with the leader of government business yesterday, we had a two or three hour meeting discussing the issue and I gave him my point of view as to why I thought the whole matter was wrong and gave him my solution to correcting that which was wrong, which will permit decorum (and) will permit the member for Englerston to attend the House of Assembly to which she has been elected by the fine people of Englerston so that she can exercise her right of representation of those people, particularly more generally the 39 per cent of PLPs that voted for us in the last election.”

He continued: “I will expect her to be showing up. We will be showing up to the House because the decision is wrong. We hope they will understand that it’s wrong and we will turn up, but if we are not permitted we will take another course.”

He said this issue emanating from Mrs Hanna Martin’s decision to defend the rights of two single mothers who were “unceremoniously” thrown under the bus by the government, adding the party knew their firings were political.

He was referring to Danielle Gibson and Holly Barrett who insist they were fired as assistant managers of the North Eleuthera and Governor’s Harbour airports months after they say they warned Mr Davis their jobs were in jeopardy.

Mrs Hanna Martin initially raised the issue in the House two weeks ago, but her comments were stricken from the record.

Her naming and suspension last week stemmed from this situation.

As the Speaker was reprimanding her for her behaviour during the session last Wednesday, she left the lower chamber.

She was backed by Mr Davis and Exuma and Ragged Island MP Chester Cooper who followed her departure as a sign of solidarity.

She was later named and suspended.