Government yesterday moved a motion to have Independent Senator Dana Seetahal sent to the Privileges Committee of the House of Representatives for contempt of Parliament.

The motion arose out of a column written by Seetahal in the Guardian newspaper, titled ’PNM out of control’, in which Seetahal stated that the Speaker, Barry Sinanan, allowed the debate on the Validation Bill in the House of Representatives to devolve into name-calling and bad-mouthing.

’The fact that this was allowed to happen must surely lie with the Speaker of the House, who is responsible for regulating the conduct of business in the House... Standing order after standing order was breached and no one was called to task,’ Seetahal stated in her column.

Information Minister Neil Parsanlal, in piloting the motion yesterday, noted that some of the most serious reflections on members that can be made concern those against the character of the Speaker, and accusations that the Speaker, or some other presiding officer has shown partiality or bias in discharging his or her duties, since reflections on the official conduct of the Speaker are direct attacks on the very institution of the Parliament itself.

’Mr Speaker, Ms Seetahal is a seasoned member of the other place and is probably more conversant than most with the rules governing the privileges and Members and of the Houses.

’And yet, within this very article, she liberally quotes the Standing Orders of the Parliament while publicly castigating the actions of the Chair in the performance of its function,’ he said.

He stressed that any questions about the conduct of the Speaker, in the exercise of his functions, must be brought by way of a substantive motion moved for that purpose.

Parsanlal said based on the research done on what pertains in other Commonwealth jurisdictions, any statement in the House reflecting on the Office of the Speaker, either directly or indirectly, is considered out of order.

He said reflections on the character or actions of the Speaker, from both inside and outside the House, have attracted the use of the penal powers of the House of Commons.

’The Office of the Speaker is a highly regarded one, requiring the incumbent to exercise the patience of Job on other hand and the wisdom of Solomon on the other, to ensure the business of the House is conducted in a manner becoming the highest court in the land,’ he said.

Sinanan said since the matter involves him, he had no choice but to refer it to Deputy Speaker Pennelope Beckles to give a ruling (as to whether Seetahal should be so referred).