Opposition Leader Hubert Ingraham is irate at the government for sending him a late invitation to the swearing in ceremony of Paul Adderley as Acting Governor-General upon the demission of office of the Governor-General, Dame Ivy Dumont.
Mr Ingraham told House of Assembly Speaker Oswald Ingraham Wednesday, that he does not expect a reoccurrence of that nature.
“This is not the way government business should be handled,” the former Prime Minister said.
“I received a letter of invitation about this function the afternoon before it was to take place. I am not expecting this to happen again!”
After Mr Ingraham received the letter, a government employee followed up with a call to his office saying that his wife is also invited to come to the ceremony on the same invitation. Mr Ingraham regarded that as an absolute insult to both his wife and himself.
The letter, dated November 29, 2005, was received by Mr Ingraham’s office on the same date.
It was addressed to Mr Ingraham only, advising him of the ceremony and signed by the Secretary to the Cabinet.
The Opposition also complained that only one Bill – The National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) Bill – has been passed in the House of Assembly since Parliamentarians returned from the 10-week summer break.
“We have only met six times since we have returned from summer holidays,” said an FNM official. “And when we do meet, most of the time it’s only for half the day.”
As a matter of fact, we are now adjourned until January, 11, 2006 and that is the earliest I remember us breaking for Christmas.” οΎ The FNM official added that under that Party’s governance, the House of Assembly always met in December.
“What has really alarmed us is that when we came off the long summer break, the first thing the PLP government dealt with in Parliament was the FNM leadership,” the official said “They did not even deal with any national issues.
“The problem is that they do not have a legislative agenda: They meet haphazardly. While they are in Cabinet on Tuesdays someone comes up with an idea and then we are notified later that day and it’s discussed in Parliament the following day.
“There are many times when we go to the House and the agenda is just being structured,” the official said.
By TANYA M. CARTWRIGHT, Nassau Guardian Associate Editor
