{"id":110744,"date":"2020-05-20T09:55:37","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T13:55:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=110744"},"modified":"2020-05-20T10:09:06","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T14:09:06","slug":"speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"Speaker Issues Lengthy Statement Warning Opposition Leader Of Action Against Him"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>

On 14th May, 2020, at a meeting of the House of Representatives and a packed Order Paper, the Leader of the Opposition, Jamale Pringle, decided to storm out of Parliament,
\nafter not being allowed to make a Personal Explanation on a matter that he was not allowed to as he was and would be in violation of the Parliamentary Procedure governing the subject.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

My main purpose is not to enter into any argument or debate with the Honourable Member, more so since I am presently considering what action should be taken against him, prior to and during the next Sitting of the House. What I will do is to point out to fair minded people, both here and abroad of the procedure and rules governing the granting or refusal of leave to a Member to make a personal explanation at a sitting, and in doing so I will support my position by referring readers to the Parliamentary Procedure and learning on
\nwhich I relied.<\/p>\n

I am also guided by the watchword of Watt, Dorsette, Hewlett Law, the Law Firm that I head and am proud to be a part of, which reads thus: \u201cArgumentum ab auctoritate fortissimum est in lege\u201d which translates to English reads: \u201cArgument by authority is strongest in Law\u201d.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

The legal learning in respect of Personal Explanations by Members is to be found in a number of Parliamentary texts two of which are:<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

1) Erskine May Parliamentary Practice 24th Edition 2011. This book deals with the Law, Privileges, proceedings and usage of Parliament and is described as \u201cErskine May\u2019s Treatise
\non the Law, Privileges, Proceedings and Usage of Parliament\u201d.<\/p>\n

2) House of Commons Procedure and Practice Second Edition 2009, which lays out the procedure in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Canada. To place this in context, Mr. Pringle, M.P., rose speaking to make a personal explanation, he stated the matter on which he intended to speak, which was to explain to the House and the World, his reason for
\nrefusing to accept an invitation to join the Prime Minister\u2019s Economic Recovery Committee, and to rebut the Prime Minister\u2019s statement that he was shirking \u2018his constitutional responsibilities\u2019.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

I declined to allow him to do so for a number of reasons. Firstly, the Member is not
\nentitled to be allowed to speak, simply because \u201cthe people voted for him\u2019 and
\n\u201chis people wants him to speak to these things\u201d. The following learning from Erskine May is reproduced for the public\u2019s education under the reading \u201cPersonal Statement pg. 376\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe House is usually indulgent with regard to personal statements, and will permit personal explanation to be made without any question being before the House provided that the SPEAKER HAS BEEN INFORMED OF WHAT THE MEMBER PROPOSES TO SAY AND HAS GIVEN LEAVE. Because the practice of the House is not to permit such statements
\nto be subject to intervention or debate, the precise contents of the proposed statement are submitted IN ADVANCE to the Speaker to ensure that they are appropriate. The indulgence
\nof a personal statement is GRANTED WITH CAUTION since it may lead to irregular debates.
\nIn the Ottawa Parliament<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Personal Explanations is explained as follows: pg. 631 \u201cThe Chair may occasionally grant leave to a member to explain a matter of a personal nature although there is no question before the House. Such occasions are not meant to be used for general debate and Members have been cautioned to confine their remarks to the point they wish to make.
\nWhen granted, they have been used by Members notably TO ANNOUNCE A RESIGNATION, OR TO EXPLAIN CHANGES IN PARTY AFFILIATION.\u201d<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Note well, the narrow nature of a personal statement. In this instance, the Member
\nsimply attempted to make a statement and a controversial one at that without informing the Speaker and providing me with the contents of the statement and getting my permission, and even if I was minded to overlook that and grant permission there and then, the matter in which he wished to speak was well outside the parameters of what was
\npermissible and would certainly have led to \u201cunnecessary debate\u201d. The Member seemed to have accepted the ruling of the Speaker and took his seat.<\/p>\n

Under Public Business, and after the Hon. Prime Minister had moved the Motion for debate on the extension of the State of Emergency, the Hon. Member rose, I thought to debate the
\nMotion instead however, he immediately commenced to raise the issue which I had ruled on before and that he was not entitled to do under the Standing Orders or Parliamentary Procedure. In this regard, I refer to Standing Order 37(1): \u201cDebate upon any Motion, Bill or Amendments, SHALL BE RELEVANT TO SUCH MOTION, BILL OR AMENDMENT except in the case of a Motion for the adjournment of the House.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Pringle walks out of parliament<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clearly in attempting to make a political statement during his debate on the
\nMotion, the Member was clearly in violation of the above cited Standing Order
\nand the Speaker was therefore perfectly correct to prevent him from so doing.<\/p>\n

During my attempt to explain and guide the Member to his breach of the Standing Order, I was subject to a torrent of abuse and insults.
\nThe Member proceeded to yell at the Chair and to persistently accuse me of being biased and would not cease his rant until I stood. At this time I warned the Member that he should control himself and I demanded that he apologize failing which I would take certain action.<\/p>\n

He chose to leave and stormed out of the Chambers without acknowledging the Speaker contrary to Standing Orders 40(a). It cannot be denied that the Hon. Member\u2019s actions and behavior amounted to grossly disorderly conduct, during which time he inter
\nalia: a) Accused the Chair of being biased and continually \u201cshutting him down\u201d
\nto prevent criticism of the Government side and; b) Did so by using disorderly and unparliamentary expressions and; c) Imputing improper Motives to a Member of
\nParliament to the Speaker contrary to Standing Order 36 (3) and 36 (5).<\/p>\n

While preparing this statement for distribution, my attention was drawn to an article in AntiguaNewsroom. com under the heading \u201cUPP STANDS BEHIND MP JAMALE PRINGLE\u2019S
\nPOSITION AND DECISION\u201d. The article consists of and appears to be written in support of Jamale Pringle and commence thus: \u201cThe Political Leader, Executive Committee and the
\nWoman\u2019s Forum placed on record their support for the positions expressed and the decision taken in the Parliament on May 14th, 2020, by the Hon. Jamale Pringle, Member for All Saints East and Saint Luke\u2026. We agree that MP Pringle acted within his rights as a Member of the House in his attempt to register by way of Hansard, his explanation for declining a position on the Cabinet\u2019s Economic Recovery Committee.\u201d<\/p>\n

It then proceeds to refer to Standing Orders 6(5) and 13(1) which are totally irrelevant to the issue at hand. It goes on to state certain positions which have no basis
\nin Parliamentary practice and which have been stated to mislead the UPP and
\nOpposition supporters there are however certain statements which I must address.
\nIt is important at this point to address Standing Order 20 which specifically deals
\nwith Personal Explanations.<\/p>\n

This Standing Order states and I quote: \u201cWITH THE LEAVE OF THE SPEAKER A MEMBER MAY make a personal explanation at the time appointed under Standing Order 13(Order of Business) although there is no question before the House. BUT NO CONTROVERSIAL MATTER MAY BE BROUGHT FORWARD NOR ANY DEBATE ARRIVE UPON THE EXPLANATION.\u201d
\n(Emphasis supplied) Can any reasonably, sane, and intelligent person, doubt
\nthat the Member\u2019s explanation was in respect of a current, hot political issue and highly controversial at that.<\/p>\n

Further, if this Member was permitted to give his explanation which concerned the Prime Minister, would the Prime Minister not seek to reply and there you would have the very
\ndebate which the Standing Order seeks to prevent. This is just one of the several
\nreasons which clearly mitigated against granting leave to MP Pringle and was only
\none of the several Standing Orders that he wished to ride rough shod over.<\/p>\n

The Standing Orders of the House of Representatives were passed in 1967, 53 years ago, it is old, outdated, and is contained in a small booklet of 45 pages and 78 Standing Orders,
\nthe idea that all of the laws, privileges, proceedings and usage of Parliament is to be
\nfound in this outdated booklet is ludicrous. Indeed, it is to Erskine May\u2019s Parliamentary Practice to which Speakers and Parliamentarians must refer. The Standing Orders set out the bare rules, Erskine May fleshes them out and indicates how they have been and are to
\nbe interpreted by Speakers and Parliamentarians. It is Erskine May that is known
\nworldwide as the Parliamentary Bible, NOT the Standing Order. Incidentally, the very idea that a Speakeror Member cannot refer to Erskine May, the supreme
\nreference for guidance and precedent, and put forward to explain away Mr. Pringle\u2019s behaviour can only be described as a Parliamentary heresy .<\/p>\n

Before departing this subject, I feel obliged to comment on two final matters as
\ncontained in the subject at hand. The writer maintains that the \u201cPlatform of Personal Explanations has been used many times, usually by Members of the Opposition
\nto address matters relevant to their tenure\u201d and that the Hon. Asot Michael, \u201cutilized
\nthis platform to report on his health following his return from major surgery.\u201d I do
\naccept MP Michael spoke to a non-political issue, i.e. his health with this Speaker\u2019s permission, I am sure that all reasonable persons can decipher the difference between both statements. If and when Members of the Opposition have frequently used Personal Explanations in the past, it has NEVER been during my Speakership and if during the term
\nof the former Speaker, was allowed willy nilly by her, would explain her failure to utilize Erskine May as a reference and not play it by ear, as was her practice during her tenure. Speaker Isaac has continually criticized this Speaker for not referring to Members by the
\nnames of the Constituencies for which they have been elected, and she \u201cpoints to Standing Order 36(4), once again the former Speaker is stuck in the past, and persistently fails and\/or refuses to refer to Erskine May to gleam the modern interpretation of this ancient custom.<\/p>\n

In this regard, I refer to Erskine May 24th Ed., 2001, page 444 which states:
\n\u201cIn order to guard against all appearance of personality in debate, no Member should refer to another by name. Each Member must be distinguished by the OFFICE HE HOLDS, by the
\nplace he represents, OR BY OTHER DESGINATIONS as \u2026 or when speaking of a Member of the same Party, \u201cmy right Honourable friend the Member for\u2026\u201dI also refer to House of
\nCommons, \u201cProcedure and Practice\u201d 2nd Ed., 2009 which states: \u201cDuring debate, Members
\ndo not refer to one another by their names but rather by title, position or Constituency name\u2026 A Minister is referred to by the Portfolio he or she holds. The two main Party Leaders are generally referred to as the Right Hon. Prime Minister and the Hon.
\nLeader of the Opposition and other Party Leaders are identified as the Leader of their respective Parties.\u201d It is abundantly clear that my manner of referring to Members is more modern, while the former Speaker continues to wallow in the past blissfully unaware that
\nmodern Parliamentary Practice and usage is not stuck in 1967 with our outdatedStanding Orders.<\/p>\n

Finally, I take note of the support that MP Pringle is getting from his Political Leader, Mr. Harold Lovell and former Prime Minister, Baldwin Spencer. Harold Lovell says, \u201cit took tremendous courage to state his case (I ask what case?), also PM Spencer commends
\nMr. Pringle \u201cfor his stance and encourages him to continue fighting in the interest of those he represents\u201d. I can state without fear of contradiction that in all their long terms in Parliament, no one has ever heard either of these two politicians behave
\nin the obnoxious and grossly disrespectful manner as this Member.<\/p>\n

I take due note of Mr. Harold Lovell and former Prime Minister\u2019s fulsome praise
\nin respect of MP Pringle\u2019s childish, and grossly disorderly behaviour in the House of Representatives, or to his gross disrespect to the Chair. It should be noted that during their long period of Membership in the House, neither of these two gentlemen have been known
\nto behave in the manner that they now feel obliged to condone. I am particularly
\nsaddened at Mr. Spencer\u2019s intervention. In conclusion,\u00a0 I wish to make it clear that my intention by way of this Statement is to conclusively show by citing the relevant Standing Order and Parliamentary Authority which grounded my decision, and in addition to inform and educate the Body Politic as to the relevant Standing Order and Parliamentary Practice
\nwhich would have guided any Speaker in these Circumstances. I am not so naive as to think that I will be able to convince the intellectually dishonest leadership
\nof the Untied Progressive
\nParty, their political sycophants or those radio hosts
\nwho are too mentally lazy
\nto research matters of this
\nsort and would rather repeat
\nand regurgitate whatever
\nemanates from the political
\nplayers of the party that they
\nso fervently support.
\nThe Honourable Jamale Pringle intemperate and
\nchildish outburst was far
\nmore egregious than that of
\nthose who have been sanctioned by former presiding
\nofficers Ms. Giselle Isaac
\nand Ms. Hazlyn Francis
\nand was far worse than that
\nof former MP and Deputy
\nPrime Minister Wilmoth
\nDaniel and once encouraged is likely to repeat his
\ndisgraceful performance. It
\nmust be noted that MP Pringle was in breach of at least
\nthree Standing Orders, and
\nit is difficult to understand
\nhow any speaker would be
\nexpected to exercise one\u2019s
\ndiscretion in the face of serial breaches of the Standing Orders and proper Parliamentary Practices and
\nusage. Clearly, the present
\nParliament must of necessity take note and ponder
\nwhether this matter is simply to be allowed to die a
\nnatural death. The ball is
\nin the House of Representatives\u2019 court.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On 14th May, 2020, at a meeting of the House of Representatives and a packed Order Paper, the Leader of the Opposition, Jamale Pringle, decided to storm out of Parliament, after not being allowed to make a Personal Explanation on a matter that he was not allowed to as he was and would be in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":110497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSpeaker Issues Lengthy Statement Warning Opposition Leader Of Action Against Him - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Speaker Issues Lengthy Statement Warning Opposition Leader Of Action Against Him\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On 14th May, 2020, at a meeting of the House of Representatives and a packed Order Paper, the Leader of the Opposition, Jamale Pringle, decided to storm out of Parliament, after not being allowed to make a Personal Explanation on a matter that he was not allowed to as he was and would be in […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-05-20T13:55:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-05-20T14:09:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Speaker-on-his-feet.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1250\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"646\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"Speaker Issues Lengthy Statement Warning Opposition Leader Of Action Against Him\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-20T13:55:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-20T14:09:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/\"},\"wordCount\":2376,\"commentCount\":50,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1250\/h:646\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Speaker-on-his-feet.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/\",\"name\":\"Speaker Issues Lengthy Statement Warning Opposition Leader Of Action Against Him - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1250\/h:646\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Speaker-on-his-feet.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-20T13:55:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-20T14:09:06+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1250\/h:646\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Speaker-on-his-feet.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1250\/h:646\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Speaker-on-his-feet.jpg\",\"width\":1250,\"height\":646,\"caption\":\"Speaker on his feet May 2020\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Speaker Issues Lengthy Statement Warning Opposition Leader Of Action Against Him\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Speaker Issues Lengthy Statement Warning Opposition Leader Of Action Against Him - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Speaker Issues Lengthy Statement Warning Opposition Leader Of Action Against Him","og_description":"On 14th May, 2020, at a meeting of the House of Representatives and a packed Order Paper, the Leader of the Opposition, Jamale Pringle, decided to storm out of Parliament, after not being allowed to make a Personal Explanation on a matter that he was not allowed to as he was and would be in […]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2020-05-20T13:55:37+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-05-20T14:09:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1250,"height":646,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Speaker-on-his-feet.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5"},"headline":"Speaker Issues Lengthy Statement Warning Opposition Leader Of Action Against Him","datePublished":"2020-05-20T13:55:37+00:00","dateModified":"2020-05-20T14:09:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/"},"wordCount":2376,"commentCount":50,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1250\/h:646\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Speaker-on-his-feet.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/","name":"Speaker Issues Lengthy Statement Warning Opposition Leader Of Action Against Him - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1250\/h:646\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Speaker-on-his-feet.jpg","datePublished":"2020-05-20T13:55:37+00:00","dateModified":"2020-05-20T14:09:06+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1250\/h:646\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Speaker-on-his-feet.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1250\/h:646\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Speaker-on-his-feet.jpg","width":1250,"height":646,"caption":"Speaker on his feet May 2020"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/speaker-issues-lenghty-statement-after-fracas-with-opposition-leader\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Speaker Issues Lengthy Statement Warning Opposition Leader Of Action Against Him"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110744\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/110497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}