NASSAU, The Bahamas – Members of the House of Assembly representing the Opposition and Government participated in a training conclave, the first in a series of events designed to improve the life of Parliament.

The one-day conclave on July 26 at the British Colonial Hilton focused on topics including ethical standards for Parliamentarians, Parliamentary decorum, the role of the Presiding Officer and Opposition and protocol procedures. The theme for the event was “Equipping Parliamentarians for a Changing World”.

Presenters included Sean McWeeney, former Senator and Attorney General; Cynthia Pratt, former Deputy Prime Minister; Sir Arlington Butler, former Speaker of the House of Assembly; Theresa Moxey-Ingraham, former Member of Parliament; Eugenia Cartwright, Treasurer; Maurice Tynes, Chief Clerk; Leon Rahming, Assistant Clerk; Anthony Forbes, Editor of the Hansard; and David Forbes, Executive Officer. The Hon. Hubert Minnis, Leader of the Opposition and the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance gave remarks.

House Speaker the Hon. Dr. Kendal Major said the specific intention for the conclave was to be edified and inspired to serve with greater understanding and wisdom. He said to be “equipped” as Parliamentarians, it is imperative for them to continue to explore new horizons that seek to strengthen their hope and resolve.

“Your presence here today is a testament to your personal commitment to elevate the standards, raise the dialogue and be an effective and disciplined parliamentarian,” he said.

“This training conclave is designed to set the stage for further interventions geared toward improving the life of the Parliament through thoughtful, practical and progressive information that propels our Parliament to a new dimension.

The Speaker revealed that he and staff of the House of Assembly are making preparations to attend the 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from September 7 to 15, 2012.

He listed several recommendations that he has adopted for Parliament. Among them are the following:

• Create specific and goal oriented career paths for the staff of the House of Assembly.
• Separate the staff of the House of Assembly from the Public Service Commission and establish a Parliamentary Commission to be headed by Parliamentarians.
• Overhaul and upgrade the Hansard recording devices and change to digital and real time stenographers. Eliminate the cassette tape system.
• Establish the Parliamentary Channel as an independent entity from ZNS.
• Construction of a new Parliamentary Complex.
• Remove the accounting section from the Cabinet Office and enshrine the Clerk in the Office of the House of Assembly as the Accounting Officer.

Prime Minister Christie suggested that  Parliamentarians should begin the process of examining whether the physical premises are suited to today’s Bahamas and whether or not there should be a commitment to a new Parliament.

“Obviously history is important to a country and to be able to show longevity in one place makes it easier for us to communicate the history of our parliamentary government,” he said.

“There comes a time in a Parliament that you have to challenge yourself to ensure that you are taking the steps necessary to have all of the modern conveniences available to you in that parliament.”

He said Parliamentarians should examine public disclosure laws with a view to determining whether or not they are what they ought to be regarding real accountability in parliament.

He suggested that the challenge is for House members to look at Parliaments in the United Kingdom, Barbados and Canada, to see how they are interpreting their own requirements for accountability and translating that into law.

Everything about the country’s parliamentary democracy must be in the context that it is a living organism, changing and being refashioned to serve the best interest of the country.

Photo 2: Rev. Dr. Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security in conversation with Deputy Speaker of the House Dion Smith. (BIS Photo / Peter Ramsay)

Photo 3: Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie, left, enjoys a moment with Leader of the Opposition Dr. Hubert Minnis and the Member for Montagu Richard Lightbourn. (BIS Photo / Peter Ramsay)