The Tribune

OFF they go again.

After quibbling over the agenda of the House when Opposition leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis tried to speak up, the Opposition decided it was time to walk out again. Off they went: one, two, three, four.

A boycott was duly announced “for a period”, length unknown, while PLP leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis scowls and talks about “tyrannical attitudes”.

The source of his outrage is the prosecution of Frank Smith – since acquitted – and Davis’ claim that the government seems determined to use the courts to pursue their political opponents.

He wants action after the judge’s complaints in the case - but there is a lack of action while the Crown appeals.

There are indeed doubtless many lessons to be learned from the Smith case – but the quartet queuing once more to march out of the House does little to help either that matter or the public at large.

After all, if indeed the government is as hellbent on tyranny as Mr Davis would have us believe, the public has now been denied a voice demanding explanation or identifying the problems inherent in whatever legislation the FNM now chooses to bring to the House in the PLP’s absence.

Of course, with only four votes, the chances of blocking such legislation would be minimal anyway – but if there are tyrants, we have now been denied a voice to identify their tyranny.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by the absence of Mr Davis in calling the government to account in any meaningful way.

After all, he is also chairman of the Public Accounts Committee – from which FNM MP Reece Chipman resigned last month in frustration over the lack of action by the committee.

The committee’s job is to examine government finances, but two years into the FNM administration, it’s done very little. In the Westminster system, it is intended to hold a crucial duty of holding the government to account over its spending. With nothing done – and nothing looking like it was going to get done – Mr Chipman resigned. When the matters were raised by Mr Chipman in the House, the Speaker said he couldn’t rule on the matter because PAC chairman Mr Davis hasn’t officially raised the matter in the House.

Mr Davis, for his part, when asked about the concerns about his committee said “this is just the culture” and seemed to shrug off the matter of a lack of reports from standing committees, saying there hadn’t been any reports from committees for years.

Remind us again, Mr Davis, who was Deputy Prime Minister for some of those years.

If he was genuinely concerned about holding the government to account, he would be crying foul loudly in the streets over any failure to let the PAC operate – and he wouldn’t be leading his members in yet another walkout from the House.

While the government proceeds with its order of business with no Opposition present, who will speak for the people they represent? After all, while the PLP may be small in number in the House, that is the result of a protest vote against a government seen to be detached and swirling in claims of corruption. There is still a large swathe of the population who voted PLP previously and want a reason to do so again. Who will criticise, advise, and perhaps amend the laws that govern us all? The so-called tyrants Davis is so concerned about?

We hope in the Opposition’s absence that some of the FNM backbenchers help to ensure due diligence is carried out in the House – because goodness knows, the silence from the PLP benches helps no one.