Leader of Government Business in the Lower House, Derrick Smith, and his Opposition counterpart, Phillip Paulwell, clashed yesterday over a decision by the government to schedule a sitting of the House today.
It’s expected that a bill intended to separate the Portmore Municipality from the St Catherine Municipal Corporation will be debated and approved during today’s sitting.
The debate on the bill was postponed yesterday following complaints from the Opposition that they were not given adequate notice to prepare.
When Mr. Smith indicated that the House would sit today, Mr. Paulwell argued that the Opposition was not given adequate notice of the sitting.
Mr. Paulwell said he and Mr. Smith had agreed that there’d be no sitting of the House on a Wednesday for the rest of the year.
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Mr. Smith dismissed Mr. Paulwell’s complaint.
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Mr. Paulwell further accused the government of putting pressure on the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, ECJ, to meet yesterday in a bid to approve the bill for tabling and debate.
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Smith again dismissed Paulwell’s protestations.
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