Former House Speaker calls for more intelligent debate in Parliament

by Michael Bascombe

ST GEORGE'S, Grenada, Jan 22 (CMC) - A former Speaker is calling for more intelligent debate among Grenadian parliamentarians. George McGuire in a radio interview here on Sunday, said that legislators need to maintain proper standards. The current Speaker of the House, Lawrence Joseph, was publicly criticised for allowing the budget debate last December to degenerate into personal attacks. During that debate, Opposition legislators walked out after accusing the Speaker of being biased towards the the Keith Mitchell government, saying he sought to prevent them from speaking about a Commission of Inquiry which is investigating allegations of bribery against the Prime Minister. "I'm calling for a new national standard to which all Grenadians can subscribe," McGuire said. "I'm calling for a climate of intelligent debate in our houses. I think it's well-known that in this last debate the whole situation deteriorated badly." McGuire, a former Education Minister, said that there were standards of honour and integrity to which all members of the House ought to subscribe and it's the duty of the Speaker of the House to sustain, enhance and preserve these standards. McGuire was elected House Speaker shortly after the New National Party (NNP) of Prime Minister Mitchell was sworn in for a third consecutive term but was succeeded by Joseph, a former chairman of the NNP.