Franklyn ditches Senate

Fed-up with what he described as continued “disrespect” from Government, outspoken Senator Caswell Franklyn boycotted today’s sitting of the Senate in protest.

Franklyn, who serves as an Opposition Senator, opted not to attend because of the untimely manner in which he received one of the Bills which was to be debated in the Upper House today.

In fact, he said while three Bills; the National Payment Systems Bill, 2021, the Barbados Identify Management Bill, 2021 and the Bills of Exchange Amendment Bill, 2021, were set to be debated today he had only received the former on Saturday that consisted 63 pages and 63 clauses.

In an email sent to President of the Senate Reginald Farley and forwarded to Leader of the Opposition Reverend Joseph Atherley and fellow Opposition Senator Crystal Drakes early this morning, Franklyn made it clear he would be a no-show at today’s sitting.

At the beginning of Senate, the President disclosed that Leader of Government business Senator Dr Jerome Walcott, Franklyn, Drakes, Senator Monique Taitt and Senator Lucille Moe would be absent.

“It is not my place to tell the Government how to conduct its business but I have a duty to the Leader of the Opposition and the people of Barbados to come prepared to debate matters before the Senate. In these circumstances, I am unable to do my duty.

“I am a reasonable person and I would try to facilitate the Government in an emergency but nothing about these bills suggests that an emergency exists. I have been complaining from day one about Government abusing its majority to unfairly oppress the Opposition using these tactics.  One of the most important duties of a presiding officer is to protect the minority from oppression of the majority. The Opposition and indeed Barbados need you to reject this behaviour,” the email stated.

“Sir, I said all that to say that starting today I will no longer tolerate this abuse and disrespect from Government. I would like to suggest that the emails from the Clerk of Parliament do not suffice to replace common courtesy from the Leader of Government Business in the Senate, when the Government proposes to sidestep the Standing Orders of the Honourable Senate.”

In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Franklyn said it was legislated that a minimum of 14 days should be given to senators to review Bills that were passed in the Lower House.

However, he pointed out that the three Bills were only passed yesterday.

He said he could not properly do his job if he was continually being disadvantaged.

“I can’t do my job if they don’t give me the Bill. There are three Bills being debated today and I’ve only ever seen one. So how am I going to do my job when I don’t know what the Bill entails?” Franklyn questioned.

“Furthermore the rules give us a minimum of 14 days after it was passed in the House to come to the Senate. It ain’t pass in the House till yesterday and it passed in all of its stages. The first reading is when you lay it in Parliament and that is when it should be circulated to, not only the Senators, but to the country at large so that the people would know what the Government is doing for them or doing on their behalf.

“The people of this country don’t know what the Government is doing because they are not telling them. They are just doing it because they think they are all powerful…” (RB)