The lateness won’t work anymore!
Although they’ve promised to deliver quality leadership throughout the new legislative term, it seems elected leaders have not decided to part with their habitual lateness, which was the subject of much criticism during that last legislative term.
While delivering his first speech in the House of Assembly (HOA) on May 18, Opposition Leader Ronnie Skelton berated his colleagues for their tardiness, stating that they shouldn’t waste his time by being late for sittings of the HOA.
Skelton hinted that he and House Speaker Corine George-Massicote were the only two members of the HOA who were early for the day’s proceedings.
“If we set meetings for 10 o’ clock Madam Speaker I can guarantee you I will be here — you and I will be here on time. So I would like my colleagues to assist me in not wasting my time. Be here on time and let us get the people’s business done and move on,” Skelton stated.
He added that if leaders can’t be on time for government business, they shouldn’t champion the narrative of self-governance for the territory.
“The institutions of this country need our attention. If we don’t build the institutions of this country, we can’t go anywhere talking about internal self-government. This House should be the primary institution of this country. We cannot continue to take this House in a light manner,” Skelton said.
Skelton isn’t the first elected leader to call out his colleagues for tardiness. In the last sitting of the House, former Territorial At-Large Representative, Neville ‘Sheep’ Smith and Shereen Flax-Charles called out their fellow legislators for their constant lateness.
At the time, Smith had revealed that the repeated pleas of Speaker George-Massicote had fallen on deaf ears. He also argued that the poor behaviour also negatively affected the staff of the HOA who are often left waiting on legislators for hours.
Smith had also suggested that a fine be put in place to punish members who are constantly late.
Skelton hinted that he and House Speaker Corine George-Massicote were the only two members of the HOA who were early for the day’s proceedings.
“If we set meetings for 10 o’ clock Madam Speaker I can guarantee you I will be here — you and I will be here on time. So I would like my colleagues to assist me in not wasting my time. Be here on time and let us get the people’s business done and move on,” Skelton stated.
He added that if leaders can’t be on time for government business, they shouldn’t champion the narrative of self-governance for the territory.
“The institutions of this country need our attention. If we don’t build the institutions of this country, we can’t go anywhere talking about internal self-government. This House should be the primary institution of this country. We cannot continue to take this House in a light manner,” Skelton said.
Skelton isn’t the first elected leader to call out his colleagues for tardiness. In the last sitting of the House, former Territorial At-Large Representative, Neville ‘Sheep’ Smith and Shereen Flax-Charles called out their fellow legislators for their constant lateness.
At the time, Smith had revealed that the repeated pleas of Speaker George-Massicote had fallen on deaf ears. He also argued that the poor behaviour also negatively affected the staff of the HOA who are often left waiting on legislators for hours.
Smith had also suggested that a fine be put in place to punish members who are constantly late.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
