Speaker Nadir responds to Opposition Leader’s accusations

Speaker of the House Manzoor Nadir is assuring Members of Parliament that the National Assembly remains guided by its Standing Orders. In his response to criticisms by Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon who has accused the government of hijacking “Private Members Day” in the National Assembly, the Speaker said the Clerk prepares the Order Paper based on what is “before him.”

“He cannot manufacture items for the Order Paper that lingers in people’s imagination,” the Speaker said.

He had earlier pointed out that “government business shall have precedence on every day except on every 4th sitting when Private Members Business shall have precedence.”

The Speaker then pointed out that “the Opposition in our Parliament is not one party,” as he said that opposition business can come through any member.

Private Members Business is set by the Clerk, the Speaker said, “in the order in which they qualify.”

“Not because someone submits a motion, it means it automatically arrives on the order paper,” Speaker Nadir told the House, “Motions and questions have to be read against the Standing Orders.”

He said too there is a process to be followed, “I am accused of not putting certain things on the order paper and reducing his particular sitting which gives precedence to private members business written replies, again I will say a member decides if his question will be answered in oral or written.”

The Speaker then pointed out that questions on today’s Order Paper were for written replies.