Prime Minister Gaston Browne has questioned the intentions of Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle following the controversy that unfolded during Tuesday’s joint sitting of Parliament, where Pringle was asked to leave the chamber before the delivery of the Throne Speech.

Speaking on his Saturday radio programme, Browne defended the actions of Senate President Alincia Williams Grant, insisting that Pringle was fully aware he could not legally participate in the proceedings because he had not yet been sworn in as a Member of Parliament.

The Prime Minister said the sitting had been convened exclusively for Governor General Sir Rodney Williams to deliver the Throne Speech and was not intended for any other parliamentary business, including the swearing-in of elected representatives.

Jamale Pringle, UPP Political Leader and Leader of the Opposition

“This was a joint sitting exclusively for the delivery of the Throne Speech so that no other matter could attend on the agenda,” Browne explained. He added that under parliamentary tradition throughout Commonwealth countries, such sittings are limited strictly to the ceremonial address by the Governor General.

According to Browne, Pringle had already missed the official parliamentary swearing-in after travelling overseas because his daughter was ill and needed medical attention in the United States.

“He had to take his daughter to the United States,” Browne said during the programme, while adding that he respected the Opposition Leader’s decision to prioritize his family.

“We applaud any father, especially someone who had that responsibility, who would prioritize taking care of his child,” Browne stated.

The Prime Minister also disclosed that he had since been informed Pringle’s daughter was “doing significantly better.”

However, Browne suggested there were lingering questions about whether Pringle genuinely intended to attend the original swearing-in ceremony or whether political considerations may have influenced the absence.

He noted that the Opposition Leader had opportunities to be sworn in earlier and claimed there were indications that the medical trip may not have been so urgent that Pringle could not have attended Parliament before travelling.

“I’m not trying to trivialize the situation with his daughter,” Browne said, “but we were told that if they were really committed, they could have achieved both.”

Browne also pointed to the simultaneous absence of the Barbuda representative during the original swearing-in and suggested the opposition may have been reluctant to appear following the outcome of the general election.

“Perhaps they were embarrassed by the result of the last elections in which they only got two seats,” Browne remarked.

The Prime Minister repeatedly stressed that he was not seeking to attack Pringle personally over his daughter’s illness but maintained that constitutional procedures still had to be respected regardless of the circumstances.

Browne explained that Pringle had been advised before Tuesday’s proceedings began that he could not be sworn in during the joint sitting and would instead have to wait for the next ordinary sitting of Parliament.

He said both the Speaker of the House and Senate President Alincia Williams Grant informed Pringle beforehand that the ceremony was solely for the Throne Speech and that there was no provision on the agenda to accommodate a swearing-in.

Alincia Williams-Grant, President of the Senate (photo by Wayne Mariette)

According to Browne, Pringle was even encouraged to sit in the public gallery if he wished to observe the proceedings and conduct media interviews afterwards, but he allegedly chose not to cooperate.

The Prime Minister argued that under the Constitution, an elected candidate does not officially become a Member of Parliament until taking the oath of office.
“You are a parliamentarian-elect until you take that oath of office in Parliament,” Browne stated.

Because Pringle had not yet taken the oath, Browne said parliamentary rules regarded him as “a stranger” to the chamber and therefore unable to participate in proceedings.

The issue escalated further when opposition senators walked out of the chamber in solidarity after Pringle was asked to leave.

Browne criticized the move, arguing that the senators had already been properly sworn in and had every right to remain for the Throne Speech.

“There’s no issue with them,” Browne said while accusing opposition members of acting emotionally instead of rationally.

Hours after the incident, the United Progressive Party (UPP) took strong objection to the action of Senate President Alincia Williams-Grant, saying the Senate President’s decision was wrong.

“Democracy is under threat, the Opposition Bench concludes”, the UPP said in a statement.