(Trinidad Express) House Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George has been called upon to refer Energy Minister Stuart Young to the Parliament’s Committee of Privileges to face punishment.
A matter of privilege has been filed against Young for his offensive comments, which the Opposition argues infer that United National Congress (UNC) members, in particular, former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, engaged in immoral conduct, lesbianism, and prostitution.
“The words/statements made by the Member have no place in our society and certainly not in the civility of the House. This conduct must not go unpunished, and no one should turn a blind eye to such reprehensible conduct. If it does, it will set a dangerous precedent for the future conduct of Members of Parliament. The dignity of the House must be upheld,” stated a letter dated October 16, 2024 from Opposition Chief Whip David Lee to Annisette-George.
The letter requested that the Speaker refer Young to the Committee of Privileges of the House for consideration and report.
“In a society where many are falling victim to acts of violence, intimidation, and bullying, our Parliament cannot facilitate these acts of contempt as perpetrated by the Member (Young),” stated the letter.
The Chief Whip stated that Young’s viral comments, which were obscene, offensive, and insulting, amounted to contempt of the House and also brought Parliament into odium, contempt, or ridicule.
“The Member used words/statements that are understood to mean, in their natural or ordinary and inferential meaning, that Opposition MPs and specifically the MP for Siparia, the current Opposition Leader and former prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, were engaged in illegal and/or immoral and/or unethical conduct, particularly acts of prostitution,” stated the letter.
The letter pointed out that Young, in reference to Persad-Bissessar, said, “she going and zami” and that, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “zami” is defined as “a lesbian, a homosexual woman.”
“The Member, therefore, went so far as to suggest that the Opposition Leader was going to the bathroom to engage in acts of lesbianism,” stated the letter.
Widely circulated
The letter added that while Young’s comments were not, or may not have been, immediately heard by the House Speaker, they were broadcast live on all of Parliament’s media platforms.
It stated that Young’s comments went viral on social media and were also widely broadcast in electronic and print media.
Additionally, the letter pointed out that there is precedent that while the Speaker did not hear the offensive comments, she can still refer Young to the Committee of Privileges after reviewing said comments.
An example was cited in the matter of privilege that was moved against Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal in the Fourth Parliament where he was referred to the Committee of Privileges for cross-talk that the Speaker did not immediately hear on the Parliament floor but was subsequently reviewed by the Speaker.
The letter stated that parliamentary precedents indicate that cross-talk is subject to contempt. It also noted that, in 2007, then-speaker of the House of Representatives Barry Sinanan was reported as stating that cross-talk was part of Parliament’s record and covered by privilege.
Even if the aforementioned words and statements are considered cross-talk, such cross-talk has boundaries, the letter stated.
That’s insulting
The Chief Whip noted that in the matter of privilege against Moonilal, the Committee of Privileges, in a report laid in the House on June 18, 2019, at paragraph 52, determined: “In the main, your Committee agreed that while cross-talk and picong will take place in the House, the House of Representatives must be careful to protect its dignity if it is to be respected by the people it serves, especially the young and impressionable. Your committee believes that one way the House can do this is by being steadfast in rejecting unparliamentary words and conduct.”
Therefore, the words/statements used by the Member fall within the remit and are subject to the Committee of Privileges, stated the letter.
The Opposition also cited Erskine May’s Treatise on the Law, Privileges, Proceedings, and Usage of Parliament, 25th edition, to bolster its arguments regarding contempt.
The letter stated that Young’s words were used “intentionally, deliberately, and maliciously” to “insult, ridicule, and degrade” Opposition Members of Parliament.
The minister’s comments were “vulgar and misogynistic,” which, from their plain and ordinary meaning and/or imputation, were sufficient to bring the House into odium, contempt, or ridicule by lowering its authority, said the letter.
The letter added that Young’s use of an expletive constituted obscene language.
The blatant use of obscene language in the Chamber is unparliamentary, prohibited, and constitutes a breach of parliamentary privilege, the letter stated.
“Degrading and disparaging the character of an elected Member of the House of Representatives to the point that it has been broadcast to the national public, leading to significant disrespect and disdain toward our nation’s women, cannot be protected by parliamentary privilege, as it demonstrates contempt for our democratic principles,” stated the letter.
This is underscored by a previous announcement by the House Speaker on October 8, 2024, when pronouncing on a distasteful and disgraceful statement made by a woman against a sitting Member of the House, it added.
The letter noted that Annisette-George reminded Members: “While Members enjoy the right of freedom of speech in this House, this right comes with a level of responsibility, and as parliamentarians, we must hold ourselves to an even higher standard.”