Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir, this morning, said that last night’s attack on the ceremonial Mace cannot go unpunished and that he would be guided by the Standing Orders when exercising discipline against the errant MPs.
Opposition Member of Parliament Annette Ferguson, aided by a number of her APNU colleagues, snatched the Mace from its place on the Clerk’s desk in a bid to disrupt last night’s passage of the Natural Resources Fund bill.
During this morning’s press conference, Nadir commended the Parliamentary staff for their restraint and calmness in dealing with the chaotic situation and restoring order to the House to ensure the passage of the controversial bill.
“In every Parliament an attack on the Mace is an attack on the authority of Parliament and that attack on the Mace cannot, cannot go unpunished…those who have attacked that Mace will face the consequences,” he said.
He added that that the Sergeant-at-Arms is the only person who touches the Mace.
The Speaker said that he would be guided by Standing Order 47 which speaks to the disciplining of MPs for gross misconduct in the House but declined to state what form of sanction would be employed. Nadir did say that he attempted to engage the Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones during the suspension of the sitting following the initial ruckus but the calls went unanswered.
He further explained that the Mace used at the sitting at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre was an exact replica of the original Mace presented to the National Assembly at the time of independence. The Speaker added that almost all Parliaments in the Westminster System have two Maces in the advent of one not being found or stolen.
With regard to the controversial NRF bill which was sped through the House after the commotion, the Speaker said it had been legally passed. However, the Opposition is contending that with the Mace leaving the House and all MPs out of their seats at the time of the vote, the passage of the bill is null and void and of no legal effect.
But Nadir told the media “I want to make it pellucid that the bill was passed lawfully, legally last evening in the National Assembly…the Mace was in place. Shortly before I put the question on the Natural Resource Bill and it is there on the live feed, the recording, I called for members to take their seats because a person can only speak or vote from their seat. I kept monitoring and I noticed that they had almost all of the government members in their seats that was when I put the question. So let it be pellucid that the two ingredients necessary for the lawful passage of bills, motions, in the National Assembly was present. The Mace was in place and the vote was taken while members were in their seats, the majority of members were in their seats.”
