Press Releases

This morning I received a letter from the Honourable Member Mr. Komal Chand. The letter was received sometime after 10.00 hours and so satisfied the requirement which was set out by Speaker Ramkarran, that all letters concerning motions of this nature should be received not later than 11.00 hours. I adopt that ruling on this matter and so find that the letter from the Honourable Komal Chand was properly received. The text of the letter was read by the Honourable Member to this House and I need not repeat it here. The letter requests the Adjournment of the Business of the House to allow for a discussion on a Definite matter or urgent public importance to, wit, the publicly announced imminent closure of the Wales Sugar Estate. A motion to adjourn the House on a matter of this nature is an extra ordinary procedure and the Standing Order which guides the Speaker in this instance sets out three indispensable elements for consideration. The matter must be definite, it must be urgent and it must be of public importance. Of the existence of all of these three elements, the Speaker must be satisfied. That the matter is one of Public Importance, there is no doubt. That it is definite, there is no question. The several reports which follow the announcement indicate that there have been expressed readiness on the part of Members on both sides of this House to have conversation on the matter which is the subject of the motion. Indeed it is reported that the Honourable Member who has sought to move the Adjournment of the House in this matter has expressed a readiness to enter into talks on the matter. It is equally true that the Honourable Leader of the Opposition has also expressed a readiness to talk with the Government on this matter. The Speaker is also aware from the Reports that the closure will take effect from the end of the year 2016. All these realities lead the Speaker to the conclusion that the requirement of urgency as contemplated in our Standing Orders is not fulfilled in the present circumstances. The motion fails to meet one of the three indispensable criteria and is therefore disallowed. Perhaps there is room for a wider Debate on a substantive Motion on a matter of this nature, but the Honourable Member I am sure need no suggestion from the Speaker on this matter.