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Lack of quorum forces PAC meeting to be rescheduled; Pringle says police action was an overreach
Following his invitation to the June 5, 2025 meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle today advised the audience that the meeting could not be held as there was no quorum.
Reports say that two of the Committee members – the Hon. Daryll Matthew and the Hon. Anthony Smith, Jr. – are off island at present and, allegedly, there was no response to the Notice from the Hon. Melford Nicholas.
As chair of the Committee, MP Pringle apologized to those seated in the gallery. He also explained the need to replace a Government-side Member with another Opposition MP, thereby enabling the PAC to make a quorum.
Prior to this date, a PAC meeting had been scheduled for May 8, but was postponed to the following week, at MP Pringle’s request, on account of constituency obligations.
That date was then moved again because of other matters affecting the administration of the House. Accordingly, notice for the June 5 meeting was given well in advance.
“I am disappointed at this turn of events,” says MP Pringle, “but not entirely surprised. My disappointment is that the members of the public who have been calling for this exercise were not able to witness it.
I hope they now understand the level of frustration I feel when this happens over and over.”
The Special Services Unit was called to clear the Parliament of the supposed “illegal meeting;” but MP Pringle believes this was an overreach of authority. “These taxpayers came here at my invitation,” he says.
“There was no need for the Police, as there was never any threat, and everybody was already on the way out at the time.
And if there was no quorum, then no meeting – ‘illegal’ or otherwise – was held. What there was, however, was disrespect for the people.”
Thursday, July 3, is the new date for the PAC meeting.
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So all that drama and still no meeting? Total waste of time.
Me feel like is more theatre than actual governance going on.
So wait, nobody could show up to make the quorum? That alone say plenty.
Parliament should be a place of order, not force. Smh.
If everybody nah show up, how the country business supposed to run? SMH
Clearly this was a deliberate attempt to squash the meeting from taking place. It’s quite obvious that those on the government side are not serious about accounting to the public with the counties finances