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Parliament is an experience
published: Friday | October 27, 2006 <DIV class=KonaBody>
Heather Robinson
One of my early memories as a child is that of my father attending sittings of Parliament between 1959 and 1962. As I child then, I had no television news or live budget presentation to watch to see what happened inside Gordon House. So instead, one created a mental picture of this great place in which parliamentarians sat and conducted the business of representation on behalf of their constituents.
It is difficult at this time to remember my very first visit to Duke Street. But what I can clearly remember are my visits to Gordon House as a radio producer employed to the Agency for Public Information (API) during the period 1974-1980. At that time there were only two radio stations, namely, RJR and JBC, and The Gleaner and Daily News were the two daily newspapers. API is now called JIS (Jamaica Information Service).
Major presentations
The API team was usually comprised of a television cameraman and producer; sound engineer and radio producer and a still photographer. This group of five would be present for sittings of the Parlia-ment in which major presentations were being made, such as those in the budget debate and statements by the Prime Minister. In that six-year period all members of the media were usually able to be seated in the designated press box.
On some very rare occasions the press box was not able to accommodate all of us who turned up for sittings of Parliament. One such sitting was the day on which Prime Minister Michael was scheduled to make his contribution to the budget debate of 1977 or 1978. I was informed at about 1:30 p.m. that I should proceed to Parliament as the person previously assigned was unable to go. When I got there, there were no available seats in the press box. Since it would be impossible to make notes standing, I had to find a suitable seat.
There were two rows of vacant seats to the immediate left of the press box in the visitors' gallery. These seats were cordoned off with a pink ribbon. So I took one of the seats in the front row, and sat waiting on the sitting to begin. An orderly came and asked me to get up as the seats were reserved for Mrs. Beverley Manley. I identified myself and explained my purpose. He was not satisfied with my response, and after much haggling and arguing, he solicited the assistance of a policewoman to physically remove me from the seat.
My refusal to be lifted from the seat was brought to the attention of the then Leader of Government Business, Dr. Kenneth McNeill (an ear nose and throat specialist) who heard my vocal protestations. He instructed the policewoman to leave me alone, and so I was able to make my notes and subsequently produce the half-hour radio programmes of the Prime Minister's budget speech.
Concealed placards
I recall being present at another sitting of Parliament, when I noticed that members of the Opposition had placards concealed under the desks to mount a demonstration at the appropriate time during the sitting. This was brought to the attention of then Minister of National Security, Dudley Thompson, who simply walked across to the Opposition members, sat beside each member who had the concealed placards, and confiscated them. That effectively put an end to any possible demonstration inside Gordon House.
As someone who first worked as a member of the media, and later as a Senator and Member of Parliament, it is my hope that next Tuesday an accommodation and resolution will be found that can facilitate the members of the media who seek to inform us, the public, about what takes place inside the Geor
published: Friday | October 27, 2006 <DIV class=KonaBody>
Heather Robinson
One of my early memories as a child is that of my father attending sittings of Parliament between 1959 and 1962. As I child then, I had no television news or live budget presentation to watch to see what happened inside Gordon House. So instead, one created a mental picture of this great place in which parliamentarians sat and conducted the business of representation on behalf of their constituents.
It is difficult at this time to remember my very first visit to Duke Street. But what I can clearly remember are my visits to Gordon House as a radio producer employed to the Agency for Public Information (API) during the period 1974-1980. At that time there were only two radio stations, namely, RJR and JBC, and The Gleaner and Daily News were the two daily newspapers. API is now called JIS (Jamaica Information Service).
Major presentations
The API team was usually comprised of a television cameraman and producer; sound engineer and radio producer and a still photographer. This group of five would be present for sittings of the Parlia-ment in which major presentations were being made, such as those in the budget debate and statements by the Prime Minister. In that six-year period all members of the media were usually able to be seated in the designated press box.
On some very rare occasions the press box was not able to accommodate all of us who turned up for sittings of Parliament. One such sitting was the day on which Prime Minister Michael was scheduled to make his contribution to the budget debate of 1977 or 1978. I was informed at about 1:30 p.m. that I should proceed to Parliament as the person previously assigned was unable to go. When I got there, there were no available seats in the press box. Since it would be impossible to make notes standing, I had to find a suitable seat.
There were two rows of vacant seats to the immediate left of the press box in the visitors' gallery. These seats were cordoned off with a pink ribbon. So I took one of the seats in the front row, and sat waiting on the sitting to begin. An orderly came and asked me to get up as the seats were reserved for Mrs. Beverley Manley. I identified myself and explained my purpose. He was not satisfied with my response, and after much haggling and arguing, he solicited the assistance of a policewoman to physically remove me from the seat.
My refusal to be lifted from the seat was brought to the attention of the then Leader of Government Business, Dr. Kenneth McNeill (an ear nose and throat specialist) who heard my vocal protestations. He instructed the policewoman to leave me alone, and so I was able to make my notes and subsequently produce the half-hour radio programmes of the Prime Minister's budget speech.
Concealed placards
I recall being present at another sitting of Parliament, when I noticed that members of the Opposition had placards concealed under the desks to mount a demonstration at the appropriate time during the sitting. This was brought to the attention of then Minister of National Security, Dudley Thompson, who simply walked across to the Opposition members, sat beside each member who had the concealed placards, and confiscated them. That effectively put an end to any possible demonstration inside Gordon House.
As someone who first worked as a member of the media, and later as a Senator and Member of Parliament, it is my hope that next Tuesday an accommodation and resolution will be found that can facilitate the members of the media who seek to inform us, the public, about what takes place inside the Geor