Earl Moxam, Senior Gleaner Writer

President of the Senate, Dr. Oswald Harding (top of the chamber), adorned in the symbolic wig at the first business session, last week Friday, of Parliament's Upper House. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

On Friday the Senate had its first sitting since the ceremonial start of the new legislature on September 27.

The first order of business was the swearing-in of opposition member, Noel Sloley, who had missed that first sitting and therefore had not yet taken the oath.

Senate President, Dr. Oswald Harding, returning to the Upper House after a one-term break, and to a role he last performed in the 1980s, emphasised once again, that the Senate was a special chamber of Parliament and that it had certain traditions "which must be kept."

As the "High Court of Parliament," he said, sittings must start promptly and the debates must be kept at a high standard; much higher than what obtains in "the other place." That "other place" is the House of Representatives, where some MPs are sometimes known to stop just short of hand-to-hand combat.

Senator Harding also made it clear that he would stick to one tradition that has been dispensed with by his counterpart in the Lower House, Speaker Delroy Chuck.

Mr. Chuck has dropped the traditional wig worn for generations by Speakers in the British Parliament and adopted by many Parliaments in the Commonwealth.

Sticking to tradition

"The Senate has always continued to be a bit more formal. We always open with the wig. If there is a particularly long session and we break, we do not go back in wearing the wig, but we always open with the wig and that's a tradition that we will keep," he explained after the sitting.

Traditions aside, the opposition People's National Party (PNP) signalled its intention to be proactive in its new role, bringing several resolutions and questions for the Government to respond to.

Senator Norman Grant, president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, brought two resolutions - one calling for the establishment of a national disaster relief fund with contributions from all affected stakeholders, plus the state and multi-lateral funding agencies. The second is a renewal of an earlier plea to the last administration to set up a single road construction and maintenance body for the entire national road network.

Furthermore, he said, the work of this body should be funded from proceeds generated by the floating of a 30-year bond.

That way, he suggested, the more than 7,000 kilometres of main roads and in excess of over 15,000 housing scheme and farm roads in "extremely poor condition" would finally be properly maintained.

Parish council functions

Speaking with The Gleaner, after the sitting, government member, Senator Desmond McKenzie, said that while there might be some merit to the spirit of the resolution he would not be able to support the idea of taking away any function from the parish councils.

Senator McKenzie, also mayor of Kingston and chairman of the Kingston & St. Andrew Corporation, said the parish councils should have a continuing role to play in the maintenance of their road networks.

"What I think is needed is for us to sit down and to examine what is going to be required as we look to deal with the issues that are affecting the network as it relates to our roads" he said.

The Opposition, through Senator AJ Nicholson - the Opposition Spokesman on Justice - also tabled several questions for the Government seeking a definitive statement on the new administration's policy on the death penalty.

Those questions are to be answered by Justice Minister Dorothy Lightbourne within 21 days.

The Senate also appointed several committees, including the Standing Orders Committee, the Senate Committee and those dealing with Privileges and Regulations, along with the Senate's members of a Joint Select Committee on Private Bills.

earlmoxam@gleanerjm.com