ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, SEPTEMBER 7TH-Parliamentary Representative for Town of St. George Peter David has formally challenged the procedure being used to convene Tuesday’s joint sitting of Parliament, warning that bringing the Houses together to receive a report from a government-appointed Technical Working Group would be a serious departure from established parliamentary practice.

In a letter dated September 7 to Speaker of the House Leo Cato, David said he was expressing his “grave concern” over the joint sitting scheduled for Tuesday, September 8, to hear the report concerning Grenada’s oil and gas development.

David said his concerns are shared by “respected authorities on parliamentary practice”. He described the planned sitting as “highly irregular” and a process that “seriously departs from settled, established parliamentary practice.”

At the center of his objection is the Technical Working Group’s status. David pointed out that the group is not a Joint Select Committee of the Houses of Parliament and that neither House appointed it.

“This Technical Working Group is neither a Joint Select Committee of the Houses nor an appointed committee by the Houses,” David wrote. “It is therefore irregular to invite such a committee to address the House of Representatives.”

According to David, established parliamentary procedure requires a report from an external body first to be formally tabled by a member of the House with the appropriate ministerial responsibility. He said this allows MPs an opportunity to examine the document before any parliamentary discussion takes place.

“When a report is so tabled, each member of the House has an early opportunity to examine the report,” he stated.

David therefore described it as “highly improper” for Parliament to convene specifically to receive a report from a committee that is not a committee of the House.

His letter also puts the Speaker himself on notice, asserting that the presiding officer has a duty to uphold parliamentary rules and traditions.

“The primary function of the presiding officer is to observe and enforce the rules and to preserve the traditions of the House,” David wrote. “The Speaker is not above the rules.”

He also invoked Section 59(3) of the Constitution, which provides that Cabinet “shall… collectively [be] responsible to Parliament.”

David’s intervention comes as the opposition New National Party has also announced that its parliamentary representatives intend to stay away from Tuesday’s joint sitting, citing similar concerns about the parliamentary process surrounding the Technical Working Group’s presentation.