Brown Burke admits mace grab breached parliamentary rules but defends Opposition's NaRRA concerns

Member of Parliament for St Andrew South Western Dr Angela Brown Burke has conceded that her decision to seize the ceremonial mace fell outside accepted parliamentary practice, days after she was named and suspended from the House over the act.

While acknowledging the breach, Brown Burke insisted the episode unfolded in the middle of an intense debate on the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) Bill, during which Opposition members were pressing concerns about transparency, accountability and what she called the far-reaching authority granted under the proposed law.

The flashpoint occurred at the committee stage of the sitting, as lawmakers worked through the NaRRA Bill clause by clause in an overnight session that ran into the early hours of Wednesday morning. Proceedings were briefly halted after Speaker of the House Juliet Holness directed that Brown Burke be removed from the chamber.

Video of the moment, which has since circulated publicly, shows the MP rising from her seat, walking over to the mace, picking it up from where it sat and returning to her place, with several Opposition colleagues appearing amused as it played out.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the disruption, Brown Burke used a recorded video statement on Thursday to admit her conduct was out of order. "I start by accepting that my actions on Tuesday did not accord with acceptable parliamentary procedure. I also acknowledge under the circumstances that the decision of the House [to name me] is in keeping with the Standing Orders," she said.

Even so, she argued that the substantive issues raised against the Bill should not be eclipsed by the spectacle inside Parliament, noting that the row erupted because Opposition members were trying to have their objections heard.

"I think context matters while we uphold the rules of the House, [and] at the same time I would not want that to distract unduly from the important points that we were making about the lack of transparency and accountability, the kind of unfettered powers that we saw with NaRRA because, you know, it's trillions of dollars we're talking about that is a debt to be borne by us and our children and our children and we want to make sure that we are doing it right and that we're putting in the safeguards that are required," she said.

The NaRRA Bill, which cleared the House after lawmakers signed off on 20 amendments during the marathon sitting, sets up the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority to oversee rebuilding and resilience programmes following the destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa.

The legislation drew sharp exchanges, with Opposition members repeatedly questioning the governance and oversight implications of clauses that allow the new authority to fast-track approvals, give directives to approving agencies and advance strategic investment projects.

In the wake of Brown Burke's action, Speaker Holness cautioned the chamber that any handling of the mace was off limits. "Member, at no time can you grab the mace in Parliament. Not even in jest, Member, and not in protest either," she told the MP once the House returned from committee.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness also urged members to settle the chamber, stressing that Parliament's standing had to be safeguarded even as tempers flared over the Bill.

"Madam Chairman, we were proceeding quite effectively in going through the clauses of the Bill. I think what we are witnessing now is a display which when we reflect on this in years to come it will not be amongst our best and I think the order of the house and dignity of the house must be preserved," the prime minister told the sitting.

Brown Burke was subsequently barred from the rest of the sitting after Government members backed a motion moved under the Standing Orders. Debate on the legislation then continued and the Bill was carried by the House.